170 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



they will be punished with death. The Dilbi men caution the 

 Dilbi boys, and the Kupathin men caution the Kupathin boys, 

 and while doing so hold up tomahawks or spears in a threatening 

 attitude. The guardians now put the full dress of a man on 

 each of the novices, consisting of a belt with four barrunggals, 

 a broad and a narrow head-band. They are now called tugga- 

 billas* and are freed from any further restraint. Some of the 

 wizards perform feats of juggling, and this part of the ceremony 

 is over. Up to this point the guardians have been carrying the 

 rugs and other things belonging to the boys, but now they 

 will have to carry them themselves. The Beegay now start for 

 the water-hole where they left their swags, and the kooringal, 

 bumboon and tuggabillas follow them at a distance. A. few men 

 who had been left here have made a ring (Buddhamoor) about 

 fifteen or twenty yards in circumference, its boundary being 

 formed by a continuous wood fire. In the middle of this ring 

 of fire are two men swinging a big nulla nulla in each hand, 

 dancing about and imitating different animals. These are the 

 two men (Iwddeiibelar), who threw the boomerangs at the boys 

 the first morning on which they were taken away. The Beegay 

 are the first to reach this place, and they lie down on the 

 opposite side of the ring to that in which they have just come. 

 Presently the kooringal, guardians and neophytes arrive at the 

 other side of the ring and commence stamping their feet, swaying 

 their hands, in which they carry weapons, up and clown, and 

 uttering low monotonous shouts. Then the Beegay, who are, as 

 before stated, lying down on the opposite side of the ring of fire, 

 rise to their feet, and act in a similar manner. During this time 

 the two men have been in the ring, but now they retire, and the 

 Beegay enter it, dancing round and shouting. Some of their 

 wizards go through various feats of pulling things out of various 

 parts of their bodies, and chasing the other men, who clap their 

 hands on their hips and shout. These ceremonies being concluded, 

 the Beegay drive the kooringal and the guardians into the 

 water-hole close by, where they wash the black paint off them- 

 selves, the Beegay and the novices sitting on the bank watching 

 them. After this the kooringal and their contingent camp at 



* Journ. Anthrop. Inst., xxv., 336. 



