252 AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL STONE WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS, 



Eyre noticed the rite amongst the Aborigines of the Bight and 

 the Port Lincoln Districts, and describes it as "finditus usque ad 

 nrethram a parte infera penis." * It was performed on lads from 

 twelve to fourteen, who were also circumcised. 



From the statements of Mr. W. H. R. Jessop, Albert A. C. 

 Le Souef, and Dr. Milne Robertson, it would appear that more 

 than one form of this rite occurs. The first of these authors 

 says : " Thus circumcision prevails among all tribes, but varies 

 both in the manner and the time of its operation. As well as 

 I could ascertain there appear to be four distinct methods of 

 performing this ceremony — Circumcision proper, Division, Per- 

 foration, and Depilation. The first is the most common, and is 

 found nearly everywhere ; the third and fourth are practised 

 chiefly on the Murray, whilst the second occurs but seldom."! 



Now, although these remarks are ostensibly meant to refer only 

 to circumcision, I cannot help thinking that the subjects of 

 "Division" or " Perforation " have some bearing on the matter 

 now under consideration. Indeed this would to some extent 

 appear to be borne out by the observations of Mr. Le Souef, who 

 says that amongst the Gawler Range blacks in South Australia 

 an incision is made at the base of the scrotum. J The account 

 given by Dr. Milne Robertson,§ being the results of personal 

 observation of aboriginal prisoners at Rottnest Island, Western 

 Australia, is most valuable, and coincides with that given by Dr. 

 Cox. In the case of the De Grey River blacks, the urethra is 

 opened from the meatus urinarius to the middle of the penis ; 



* Vol. I., p. 212 ; Vol. II., p. 332. 



t " Flindersland and Sturtland ; or the Inside and Outside of Australia" 

 (2 vols. 8vo, London, 1862), Vol. ii. p. 205. I quite fail to see what con- 

 nection can exist between Depilation and Circumcision. The former was 

 much practised by certain of the South Australian tribes, and consists of 

 the plucking of every hair from the front of the body. (See Sadlier, 

 Aborigines of Australia, 1883, p. 11.) 



+ Smyth's "Aborigines of Victoria," 1878, Vol. ii. p. 296. 



§ " Report upon certain peculiar Habits and Customs of the Aborigines of 

 Western Australia," &c„ p. 8 (8vo, Perth, W.A., 1879). 



