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19. At Brisbane*, the boomerang, or braggan, was made from the spur of a tree as on the Tully [River], cut above and below, and split off. Both the toy and fighting variety were then thrown [to] either onto the ground, or direct into the air. As compared with the toy-, the fighting one had less of a bend, was heavier, more rounded on both sides, and thrown lower. It would, when thrown on the ground proceed at first in a straight course and then gradually taper to the right or to the left, the owner thrower learning by previous experience when it would turn off, on which side, and where it would hit. When thrown onto the ground direct it would turn off at the spot struck. The natives would often practise on the trees with these weapons, each thro owner thus getting to know just exactly what his particular weapon could do.
20. The fighting boomerang of the N[orth] W[est] districts has already been described [digram] by me.** Around the Normanton, and the Gulf Coast just to the north of it***, the weapon becomes heavier and clumsier, the more or less acute angle at the wider Knot (Fig. 29) [?] [?]lly giving place to ann an only slightly perceptible [bend] curve (Fig. 29]. Thus between on the coast line between the Mitchell and Staaten Rivers, the Gunanni call both varieties by the same name of we-angala, but use the former angular one for fighting at close quarters by throwing it on the ground, the flattened curved one for Knocking over wallaby, native companion and bandicoot. North of the Palmer River the boomerang may be [?] another Peninsula.
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* Notes from [Mr] J Petrie
** [Ruth] Ethnol. Studies [etc] Sect. 239-244
*** In areas where it is made from the flange of a tree