NORTH QUEENSLAND ETHNOGRAPHY — ROTH. 185 



Again, a black will sidle up to a novice and drop a billet of 

 wood, saying, " See the fine fish I caught. Won't we have a big 

 feed to-night !" — a remark rather trying for a young man who 

 for the past two months has been almost on starvation diet. 

 Everything indeed that can be thought of is*done to get him to 

 forget himself even for a moment, and make him look up, speak 

 or laugh. When finally the old men consider the novices have 

 been sufficiently tried, they tell the nupas so. That sime evening 

 the novices paint themselves up as " men," with feathers in their 

 hair, and cease to be novices any longer. Now for the first time 

 since the ceremonies began are they seen by their mothers and 

 sisters, and as by this time they have become very thin, not only 

 do their relatives in particular, but the whole camp in general, 

 make a great fuss and cry over them. Still even for three or 

 four months later, the newly-made " men " may only eat honey, 

 yams, and " old man opossum " flesh, but they must not gnaw 

 the bones. After this lapse of time they may eat anything 

 except emu-flesh, which must always be brought to the old men 

 in camp, and never eaten by young men at all. 



