122 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



each of which a fire, called tobmeeobroo, is kept burning.* Whei*e 

 the pathway meets each of these circles, there is an opening about 

 two or three feet wide left in the embankment as an entrance to 

 the space within. 



On approaching the farther ring, on either side of the path 

 above' described are some tracks of an emu's foot cut in the 

 ground, the outline of an iguana formed of raised earth, and some 

 other figures The bark on the boles of a number of trees around 

 this ring are marked with various wavy, zig-zag and oval patterns 

 cut with a tomahawk. This marking is called moombeera or ma- 

 kendee. ISTot far from the pathway, and in close proximity to the 

 marked trees, is the horizontal figure of a man, larger than life 

 size, lying prone on the ground. He is formed of raised earth, 

 with a layer of mud or clay on the upper surface, and is called 

 Goign or Baiamai. 



Mustering /lie Tribes. — The messengers who are sent out to 

 gather the tribes cany a bullroarer, some tails, boomerangs, and 

 white stones. When a messenger gets near the camp of a tribe 

 he has been instructed to summon, he waits till it is evening, and 

 then approaches it quietly and swings his bullroarer. When the 

 old men hear this they commence to sing "Birr! birr !" and go 

 to the messenger and conduct him to the men's camp. He briefly 

 tells them where he has come from, and postpones the rest of 

 his message till the following morning. 



• Next morning he goes with the chief men to the Ibata, or 

 private meeting-place of the men, and there he produces his 

 emblems of authority and hands them to the head men. If, as 

 is generally the case, they are all agreeable to join the Burbung 

 gathering, they accept the emblems, and the messenger goes back 

 to the head man who sent him and reports the result of his mission. 

 When the time arrives to start for the appointed meeting -place, 

 all the men, women and children are mustered up, and the 

 journey is commenced towards the Burbung ground, dances 

 and songs being indulged in at the various camping-places along 

 the route. When this concourse arrives almost in sight of the 

 main camp, a stoppage is made, to give them an opportunity for 

 preparing to meet the people already assembled there. Their 



* In some parts of the district there is only one heap of earth in this circle, with a fire 

 burning on top. 



