BV R. ETHERIDOE, JUNE. 545 



thcat droughts are caused by the swallowing up of all moisture by 

 a rain-devil. If, however, this personage can be captured and 

 made to disgorge, rain follows at once. The feather boots are 

 worn by the native rain-maker in order that he may steal noise- 

 lessly and unawares on the author of the drought and consequent 

 misery." 



The shoes ar3 ten inches in length, by four inches wide, the 

 sole being about two inches thick. The groundwork is, as stated 

 by Curr, made of human hair, and in the sole thickly interlaced 

 and matted together with emu feathers to such an extent that 

 the latter predominate over the former. The uppers, however, 

 are wholly of hair-twine, knitted together, with an occasional 

 feather thrust in here and there. The free sides are from one to 

 one and a quarter inches high, whilst the toe and heel portions 

 are covered or decked-in as it were, leaving a foot-opening, oval 

 in shape, and six inches long, but what I take to be toe-cap 

 longer than the heel-piece. The shoes are held on the feet by 

 instep straps, not unlike the similar fastenings to a child's shoe. 

 The straps are excentric with regard to the longitudinal measure- 

 ment, and are near to what I take to be the heel, the other end 

 Ijeing certainly a trifle wider, and are also made of hair-string 

 whipped upon itself. Curr says that the component materials of 

 the soles are " stuck together with a little human blood, which 

 the maker is said to take from his arm." There is certainly some 

 black coagulated substance mixed with the feathers and hair in 

 the soles of the shoes from Barrow Creek. This my colleague, 

 Dr. T. Cooksey, has submitted to chemical examination, and 

 made the following tests : — 



1. A portion was extracted with glacial acetic acid, and the 

 extract evaporated with a little sodium-chloride, when micro- 

 crystals of ha3mine-hydrochloride were obtained. 



2. A second portion was boiled with acetic acid and diluted, 

 and on the addition of ferro-cyanide of potassium, alljumen was 

 precipitated. 



These results would appear to indicate that the black cementing 

 medium is blood. 



