174: RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM- 



nut) after crab, the chorus yelling extra strong as each is 

 discovered. 



((/) The Dornorn (poison "stone-fish," well known to the 

 Cooktown Europeans) is very dangerous in that a stab from its 

 dorsal fin can produce a very ugh' poisonous wound. While the 

 backs of the novices are turned, a beeswax model of such a fish 

 (PI. Hi., fig. 2) is placed, but left visible, in the ring. On being 

 allowed to gaze upon the bond again, they see the chorus circling 

 round and round the three central performers, who, with down- 

 pointed spears, are trying to find it, and pretending to miss it 

 each time. Indeed, so well is the mimicking carried on that 

 finally one of the central figures treads upon the model and, 

 seemingly poisoned, utters an unearthly yell, in which of course 

 the dancing chorus join, and falls to the ground in agony. 



(A) The Fresh-water Mussel(Pl.lvi.). Here again the credulity 

 of the novices is imposed upon, for while they are made to turn 

 their backs and have their eyes closed, several live shells are 

 planted within the central rut or piri. When allowed to see, there 

 is one performer sitting on the bend of the horse-shoe with his 

 legs inside, and holding an empty palm-scale trough in his hands. 

 On either side of him, and sitting on the edge of the rut, is 

 another performer, each taking his turn at diving into the sup- 

 posed water. After many contortions, standing on his head even, 

 and legs outstretched, amid the cries of the chorus, lie conies up 

 to the imaginary surface with a shell, and, accompanied with 

 much yelling and rejoicing, hands it to the other "diver," who 

 places it in the trough. The photo, from which the illustration 

 is prepared has just caught the one man putting the shell in the 

 trough, and the other cocking up his leg to make ready for another 

 dive. The realism may be carried still further by the divers 

 pretending to get their fingers nipped, or else sitting on the banks 

 of the rut and shivering with the cold after having been in the 

 water so long. 



Thus da) r after day, morning and afternoon, the performances 

 follow each other in rapid succession, the final proceedings being 

 constituted as follows : — When the last dance is over, the central 

 horse-shoe is obliterated, and the whole surface rendered level by 

 all the performers, with spears down, gradually converging from 

 the, circumference and stamping aa they gel to the centre. A 

 "murla" is then placed in the ground where the bend of the 

 horse-shoe originally was; the word murla means honey, and is 

 applied to the object intended to represent a honey-comb, the 



"Synnncydium horridum, Linn. (Ed.). 



