a weapon of the Australianaborigines, described in the quotations. The origin of theword is by no means certain. One explanation is that ofMr. Fraser in quotation, 1892. There may perhaps be anetymological connection with the name woomera (q.v.),which is a different weapon, being a throwing stick, that is,an instrument with which to throw spears, whilst the boomerang is itself thrown; but the idea of throwing iscommon to both. In many parts the word is pronounced by theblacks bummerang. Others connect it with the aboriginal wordfor «wind,» which at Hunter River was burramaronga, also boomori. In New South Wales and South Queensland thereis a close correspondence between the terms for wind andboomerang.
1827. Captain P. P. King, `Survey of Intertropical and WestCoasts of Australia,' vol. i. p. 355:
«Boomerang is the Port Jackson term for this weapon, and maybe retained for want of a more descriptive name.»
1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 108:
«We gambolled all the way up, throwing small pieces of bark ateach other, after the manner of the native youths, who practisethis with a view of strengthening their arms, and fitting themfor hurling a curious weapon of war called a `bomering,' whichis shaped thus:»
Ibid. p. 280:
«Around their loins was the opossum belt, in one side of whichthey had placed their waddies, with which they meant to breakthe heads of their opponents, and on the other was thebomering, or stick, with which they threw their spears.»
[This is a confusion between boomerang and woomera (q.v.). Perhaps Mr. Dawson wrote the secondword, and this is a misprint.]
1839. Major T. L. `Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into theInterior of Eastern Australia,' vol. ii. p. 348:
«The bommereng, or their usual missile, can be thrown by askilful hand, so as to rise upon the air, and thus to deviatefrom the usual path of projectiles, its crooked course being,nevertheless, equally under control.»
1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 186:
«The admirable dexterity with which they fling the bomerangs.To our thinking the thrower was only sending the instrumentalong the ground, when suddenly, after spinning along it alittle way, it sprung up into the air, performing a circle, itscrescent shape spinning into a ring, constantly spinning roundand round, until it came and fell at his feet.»
1845. O. Wendell Holmes, `Modest Request' (in Poems):
«Like the strange missile which the Australian throws,
Your verbal boomerang slaps you on the nose.»
1849. J. P. Townsend, `Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 39:
«This instrument, called a bommereng, is made of wood, and ismuch like the blade of a scimitar. I believe it has beenintroduced into England as a plaything for children.»
1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 57:
«The boomerang is an extraordinary missile, formed in the shapeof a crescent, and when propelled at an object, apparently point blank, it turns in any direction intended by thethrower, so that it can actually be directed in this manneragainst a person standing by his side. The consummate artvisible in its unnatural-looking progression greatly dependsupon the manner in which it is made to rebound from the groundwhen thrown.»
1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 107;
«He [Sir Thomas Mitchell] applied to the screw propeller therevolving principle of the boomerang of the Australiannatives.»
1867. G. G. McCrae, `Balladeadro,' p. 25:
«While circling thro' the air there sang
The swift careering boomerang.»
1888. A. Seth, `Encyclopaedia Britannica,' vol. xxiv. p. 530,col. 2:
«He [Archbishop Whately] was an adept in various savage sports,more especially in throwing the boomerang.»
1889. P. Beveridge, `Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina,' p. 49:
«Boomerang: a thin piece of wood, having the shape of aparabola, about eighteen inches or two feet long from point topoint, the curve being on the thin side. Of the broad sides ofthe missile one is slightly convex, the other is flat. Thethin sides are worked down finely to blunt edges. The peculiarcurve of the missile gives it the property of returning to thefeet of the thrower. It is a dangerous instrument in a melee.Of course the wood from which it is made is highly seasoned byfire. It is therefore nearly as hard as flint.»
1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 49:
[A full description of the use of the boomerang is given,with illustrations.]
«The boomerang is a curved, somewhat flat, and slender weapon,made from a hard and heavy wood, Brigalow ( Acaciaexcelsa), or Myall ( Acacia pendula), but the bestone I found was made of a lighter kind of wood. The curving ofthe boomerang, which often approaches a right angle, must benatural, and in the wood itself. One side is perfectly flat,and the other slightly rounded. The ends are pointed.»
1890. G. W. Rusden, `Proceedings, Royal Colonial Institute,' vol.xxii. p. 62:
«You hardly ever see an allusion in the English Press to theboomerang which does not refer to it as a weapon of war whichreturns to the thrower, whereas the returning boomerang is nota weapon of war, and the boomerang which is a weapon of wardoes not return to the thrower. There are many kinds ofboomerang – – some for deadly strife, some for throwing at game,and the returning boomerang, which is framed only foramusement. If a native had no other missile at hand, he woulddispatch it at a flight of ducks. Its circular course,however, makes it unfit for such a purpose, and there is aspecial boomerang made for throwing at birds. The latter keepsa straight course, and a native could throw it more than twohundred yards.»
1892. J. Fraser, `The Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 69:
«The name bumarang has always hitherto been written boomerang;but, considered etymologically, that is wrong, for the root ofit is buma – – strike, fight, kill; and – ara, – arai, – arang, areall of them common formative terminations.»
1893. `The Argus,' July 1, p. 8, col. 7:
«`I tell you, sir,' said Mr. Healy at an Irish politicalmeeting, `that there are at the present moment crystallizingin this city precedents which will some day come home toroost like a boomerang.'»