72 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



detaches it (the guide thus falling to the ground), makes a slip- 

 noose (fig. 50) in it with his fiee hand and 

 teeth, and tightens it with a pull (fig. 51). 

 He next lakes a rest for a few minutes, 

 comes down the tree, and when refreshed,^ 

 reclimbs the hanging cane hand-over-hand 

 fashion with the lielp of his toes ; he is thus 

 enaliled to climb on to and over the branch, 

 and then start afresh, if necessary, up the 

 contiimation of the trunk. 



This method of climbing a tiee with a 

 Fig. ."-jo. Fijr. 51. |)iepKred cane I have seen used along the 



coast-line from Cape Grafton in the north to as far south as 

 Miriam Vale, i.e., below Gladstone in the south. I have never 

 come across anything like it however in the North-Western 

 Districts. 



9. On the Bloomfield Kiver and in the Peninsula, there are 

 modifications of it as follow.s. Thus, in the former district, when 

 the tree is of comparatively laige size and somewhat l)eut, the 

 black will take some handfuls of a species of " flag-grass," so 

 common liere, put tips to roots, make a few twists, and thus 

 form a short rope — he puts this roiind the butt, catches hold of 

 each extremity, and climbs upon the upper side with successive 

 upward jerks of the arms which are kept in, and the elbows well 

 back*. Any such method is nevertheless ap|)arentl\- unknown 

 to the Cape Bedford Nati^ es. In the Peninsula, cy., at the Coen 

 River and on the Peunefather River trees ma}- be climbed with 

 a bark strip of the " mess-mate " (Eucalyptus tetradonta), 

 " match-box bean " (Entada scandens), etc., held at either ex- 

 tremity without any knot in it, and pressing on the tree-butt 

 with the elbow-tips (PI. xxii., fig. 1), and so jerking a wav up ; 

 in the neighbourhood of Mapoon, this procedure is only resoited 

 to in extreme cases, most of the timber being small enough to 

 climb with hands and feet. 



10. Tree-climbing by cutting steps alternately right and left 

 is fairly common, met with even out on the Wellesley Islands. 

 It has apparently been introduced on the Tully River of late 

 years^ altliough practised at Cardwell only about thirty miles 

 distant ; the Tully Natives speak of it as chinda-balgin, chinda 

 signifying any mark or cut, and l)algin the jumping motion of a 

 wababy (PI. xxii., tig. 2). Though 1 have used the word " steps" 



* From Mr. R. Hislop. 



« On the Mutlioritv of Mr. K. Hrooke. 



