166 Proceedivgs of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



their mouths, their legs widely extended, and their arms 

 stretched forwards the two men stand perfectly still, the 

 actual operator in front and his assistant pressing close up 

 behind him so that their bodies are in contact with each other. 

 The front man holds in his extended right hand the small flint 

 knife with which the operation is to be performed and as soon as 

 they are in position the Ikuntira man who is to act as shield 

 bearer comes down the lines carrying the shield on his head and 

 at the same time snapping the thumb and first finger of each 

 hand. Then, facing the fire, he kneels on one knee, just a little 

 in front of the operator who stands perfectly still. During this 

 time the bullroarers are sounding all round so that they can be 

 heard far away by the women in their camp, and by them it is 

 supposed that the roaring sound is the voice of tlie great spirit 

 Twanyirika who has come to take the boy away. 



The Arachitta poles are now quickly snatched from tlie top of 

 the body of the Wurtja, and he is at once lifted up hy Okilia 

 men who run, carrying him feet foremost, and place him on the 

 shield. Then in deep, loud tones the Lartna song is sung, indeed 

 almost thundered out, by the men : — 



" Irrie yulta yulta rai 

 III katchera ul katch ar-arai 

 Irri yulta yulta rai 

 Ul katchera ul katch ai." 



The assisting Atwia-twia at once grasps the fore-skin, pulls it 

 out as far as possible and the operator cuts it off and immediately 

 along with all the officials of the ceremony retii'es out of the 

 lighted area, while the boy is stood up and held by Oknia and 

 Okilia who say to him, " you have done well, you have not cried 

 out." Then ho is led back to the old brake where he receives the 

 congratulations of the men, and, at the same time, the blood 

 from the wound is allowed to flow into a shield which is given 

 to him by a young Oknia man to whom afterwards he will liave 

 to give food just as he does to his own father. 



While he is still bleeding an Okilia man Ijrings up some of the 

 buUioarers and pressing them upon the wound tells him that it 

 was these which made the sound and not Twanyirika, tliat they 

 are sacred Churinga and must never be shown, or even mentioned, 



