Boomerang

A very singular missile weapon used by the natives of Australia and in some parts of India It is usually a curved stick of hard wood from twenty to thirty inches in length from two to three inches wide and half or three quarters of an inch thick When thrown from the hand with a quick rotary motion it describes very remarkable curves according to the shape of the instrument and the manner of throwing it often moving nearly horizontally a long distance then curving upward to a considerable height and finally taking a retrograde direction so as to fall near the place from which it was thrown or even far in the rear of it