32 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



some of the old men belonging to the local mob, who are always 

 in attendance there. On the arrival of the messenger, these old 

 men give a shout, on hearing which the men at the main camp 

 know that a new mob is approaching. When the messenger 

 starts on to the kangaragal all the strange men and women start 

 direct for the ivandarral, and when the shouting is heard at the 

 kangaragal, the new contingent make their appearance in sight 

 of the main camp. The local mob now accord them the 

 customary reception^ at the ivandarral ring, after which the 

 strangers proceed to pitch their quarters on the side of the 

 general camping ground nearest their own country. 



Several days, and in some cases weeks, may intervene between 

 the arrival of the various tribes who are summoned to be present, 

 and in order to occupy and amuse the people during this time, 

 corroborees are held every fine night by the light of the camp fires, 

 each tribe present taking their turn to provide the evening's 

 amusement. Every afternoon, when the men come into the camp 

 from their hunting expeditions and have a rest, they go away to 

 the kangaragal, where they dance and perform feats of jugglery, 

 and sometimes hold important discussions respecting matters of 

 tribal concern. When these meetings are over they return to the 

 ivandarral, where the head men call out the names of water- 

 holes, shady trees, and other remarkable places in their respective 

 districts, after which they walk away to their own camps. 



When all the tribes who are expected to attend the wandarral 

 have arrived at the main camp the head men assemble at the 

 moodyang, or private meeting place, and after a consultation among 

 themselves they fix the day on which the novices will be taken 

 away for the purpose of initiation. When the appointed time 

 arrives, the boys are mustered out of the entire camp and taken 

 close to the wandarral ring early in the morning. The brother- 

 in-law, or guardian, of each novice now takes charge of him, and 

 paints him'^ with stripes of pipe-clay on the chest and arms, and 

 puts feathers in his hair, after which he invests him with a belt, 

 four tails or kilts, a head-baud, and armlets. The boys are then 

 placed sitting down on the outside of the ring, on the side 



1 Journ. Anthrop. Inst., xxv. , 321-325. 



2 Generally the mother and sisters of the boy paint him, and the brother-in-lr.w invests 

 him with a man's dress. 



