NOrn'H QUEENSLAND ETHNOCIJA PIl Y BOTH. 23 



rub it well in, and so pull it out. The Cape Beclfoid natives en- 

 couraged the growth of the beard. In tlie Boulia District, the 

 beard is often tied close to its base witli a piece of twine to make 

 it look tiash, both at corrobboree time and on other occasions ; 

 in the Gulf country it may occasionally be seen waxed into one 

 or two points (PI. viii., fig. 1). 



4. Head-net. — Where the growtli of the hair is encouraged as 

 the usual thing, a special head-net (PI. viii., figs. 2 and 3) is used 



to prevent the throms from dangling over into the eyes : it i& 

 woven- on a circular basal strand, made of flax-fibre {Psoralea 

 patent!, A. Cnun.) and coated thickly with red ochre grease*. It 

 is manufactured by men only in the Boulia and I.eicliliardt-Selwyn 

 Districts ; its Pitta Pitta name is kulpuru, its Kalkadun one 

 kantamara. Another form of head-net, an undoubtedly modem 

 innovation, is made by the women throughout the same areas after 

 the manner and mesh of a European fishing-net, with a conical 

 blind extiemity. Another contrivance which ostensibly served 

 to keep the hair from falling over the eyes and face was the now 

 extinct kalgo of the Cloncurry District. It is a long strip of 

 Opossum skin with the hair left on, and about seven or eight 

 feet long, made out of the back by starting from about the centre, 

 cutting out concentrically round and round, the strip being sub- 

 sequently stretched and dried. Winding it roiuid and round the 

 head, just above the ears, l)oth men and women wore it, the 

 custom being to remove it at night. 



5. False hair.— On the Embley River I met with adjustable 

 fringes, used by the women, and made of small throms of human 

 hair fixed on a top string, the extremity of each tassel being 

 weighted with a blob of beeswax. Ihe Cloncurry District 

 women and little boys for '■ flash " purposes wear an artificial 

 whisker, formed of locks of hair cemented together at one 

 extremity with Grevillea cement ; such a wolla-kuja is attached 

 on either side to the temporal hair in frout of the ear, and hangs 

 to a length of about two inches below the jaw. 



6. Forehead-nets.— The forehead-net or miri-miri (PI. viii , figs. 

 4 and 5) — ^a name common throuiihout Nortli-West Queensland — 

 is a spindle-shaped piece of netting (juite a foot long, also worn to 

 keep the hair well back, passing over the ears and tied together 

 at the Ijack of the head. It is woven after the ordinar}' fish-net 

 pattern.^ though no netting needle is used; in some exaniples, each 



2 Roth— Bull 1— Sect. 25. 



3 Roth— Bull. I— Sect. 23. 



