6 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



wrist and pull her in. A man here is always supposed to make 

 presents to his future mother-in-law. 



11. At Cape Grafton betrothal may similarly take place in 

 infancy, the boy being allowed to marry her after his passing the 

 first initiation ceremony, and cases have been mentioned to me 

 where the future husband has put his brand, in the shape of 

 three vertical cuts, upon the girl's shoulder. 



12. Amongst the Tully River natives betrothal is also recog- 

 nised; a father can give his daughter, as infant or maid, to any man 

 young or old so long as he has the two essential decorative scars 

 indicative of his initiation. The individual to whom she is now 

 given or betrothed can take her straight away with him there 

 and then if he so chooses, but if very young he usually loans her 

 tu some comparatively old man, 6 necessarily belonging to the 

 same exogamous group as himself, to sleep with and train for 

 him ; this action on the part of the elder is deemed to make the 

 little child's genitalia develop all the more speedily. 



13. At Torilla and Pine Mountain, on the east central coast, 

 the following procedure 7 used to be observed in the " old days." 

 When a little girl is about three years old some blackfellow 

 wants her to be betrothed to him, but as it is not considered 

 good form to ask her parents, he constantly makes them presents 

 of tit-bits of food and honey, weapons, etc. Of course they 

 understand what he is after, and provided they fancy him for a son- 

 in-law will call together the uncles (the girl's mother's brothers) 

 and consult with them. If these latter are agreeable, either the 

 father or an uncle will ask the would-be bridegroom whether he 

 would like to have the girl, offer to betroth her to him, and he 

 accepts. The parents next paint the little girl, and stick into 

 her hair a lot of feathers, which are mostly eagle-hawk. In the 

 meantime the future husband sits quite still at his camp-fire, 

 gazing intently on the ground, and on no pretext whatever will 

 he look behind. The uncles next bring up the little baby girl so 

 decorated and seat her at the back of, but not touching, her 

 future lord and master. They then leisurely take the feathers 

 one at a time from out of the child's hair and stick them 

 successively into the man's. When the feathers are all fixed in 

 the latter, he arises, and without once looking behind, leaves 

 camp and does not return for a month or longer. After coming 



6 It may be mentioned here that nothing is said (though it is of course 

 impossible to learn how much may be thought) of any of the elder males, 

 provided they belong to the proper groups, tampering with any young female 

 children. 



7 Reported to me by Mr. W. H. Flowers. 



