Mr. W. Roth, in his “Ethnological Studies Among the North-West Central Queensland Aborigines,” says:—­

“It appears that when warding off a blow from a boomerang of any description the defence consists in holding forwards and vertically any stick or shield that comes to hand, and moving it more or less outwards, right or left as the case may be, thus causing the missile on contact to glance to one or the other side.  The hook is intended to counteract the movement of defence by catching on the defending stick around which it swings and, with the increased impetus so produced, making sure of striking the one attacked.”

4.  Clubs and throwing-sticks (G).

1.  The uses of these are sufficiently obvious to make a description unnecessary.

2.  The throwing-sticks are used chiefly in hunting, and for guarding a blow from a boomerang.  Most that I have seen were made of mulga (acacia) hardened by fire.

5.  Shields.—­H.  Of hard wood (Mulga); I. Of soft wood (Cork bark).

H. The hard-wood shields are carved from a solid piece of mulga, are grooved to turn spears, and slightly curved for the same purpose.  The handles stand out from the back.  These were found as far North as lat. 25 degrees S.

I. The soft-wood shields found North of lat. 25 degrees are of about the same size, but are not grooved.  Their faces are rounded; the handles are gouged out.  It is interesting to notice how in each example the most serviceable shield has been made in the easiest way.  The mulga splits into boards, and so cannot be obtained of any thickness, so flat shields are made; whereas the cork wood is a soft and very readily worked tree and can be carved and hacked into shape with the rudest implements, such as that shown in sketch (J).

6.  Quartz knife (K).

With this exceedingly rough implement self-inflicted gashes on the chest and arms (presumably for ornamentation) are made.  The rites of circumcision, and other initiatory operations, for the proper performance of which one would suppose the skill of a trained surgeon necessary, are carried out by means of this crude blade.

7.  Ceremonial sticks (L).

In almost every camp flat sticks of various sizes, shapes, and carvings, similar to those shown above, were found.  They were always carefully wrapped up in bark secured by hair-string.  They are said to be used by the blacks in their several initiation ceremonies, but what their use or significance is, is not known.  No tame boy (i.e., native who can speak English) will divulge their mysterious meaning.  I have repeatedly asked about them, but have never succeeded in getting any answer beyond “I dunno, gin (or lubra) no more see ’em; gin see ’em, she tumble down quick fella.”  There must be some very queer superstition connected with them, since the ladies die on seeing them.  Indeed, the black fellow has a somewhat arbitrary method of dealing with his gins, and should they be ill-advised enough to attempt to argue with him, does not wait to produce a flat stick, but silences them with a club.