Ahor'ujine^i of Lake Bogc. 4(5 1 



]j(i/,-t Boya Ahoriginal Lec/end to Arrount for the Treeless 



.State of Lake Boga, and the Mournful Wail of 



the Stone Plover. 



At one time, long years ago. there was a very large redgum 

 tree growing in the lake, and its branches supported a tremen- 

 dously large nest, the property of an imniensely large pair of 

 wedge-tailed eagles ("' JSurrayil '"). One tine day a young- 

 mother wandered, carrying her baby, a long way round the 

 lake, and far from the camp, when, feeling tired, she sat down 

 and amusedly watched her baby playing in the warm sand, 

 when suddenly, and without warning, the larger of the two 

 eagles swooped down and, seizing the baby, carried it away 

 over the water to its eyrie in the red gum tree. The poor 

 mother, seeing her baby suddenly lost to her for ever, com- 

 menced a mournful wailing, which the curlews or stone plovers 

 ("Will") in sympathy took up, and have continued- ever since. 



The disconsolate young mother then hurried back to the 

 camp and reported the occurrence, upon which the doctor or 

 medicine-man (" Barngnull '') directed that every person with 

 a canoe was to proceed to the tree, and after cutting it down 

 to tear it into little pieces, and to boat it all away to the 

 river, where it was to be thrown upon the water to be carried 

 away. The doctor then decreed that no more trees should 

 grow in Lake Boga. The tree in falling hollowed out with its 

 branches a big depression near the river, which they called 

 '■ Geranyuk '" (where branches and leaves fell). The . large 

 gnarled lump on the tree trunk sti'uck and hollowed out a big 

 hole at the entrance to the lake, which they named '" Wher- 

 pook " (where butt fell). 



Destruction of Floating Island on LaJ:e Boga ('" Gourrm "). 



A long time ago (" Null uiea goon ") there was u floating 

 island on the waters of Lake Jioga. The native idea w-as that 

 it was formed of a mass of rushes and reeds, on which the 

 duststornis had deposited a stratum of sand, and in which 

 grass grew. One day a number of young men were upon 

 the island, and the day being a warm one they spent a lot of 

 the time swimming. One youth, not being a gfwd swimmer, 



