Aborigines of Lake Boga. 465 



legs, but without touching him. He received a great shock, 

 and was the butt for their merriment for years. This incident 

 originated the name of " Murdering Lake," which name it 

 bore for many years. 



TJie Legend of " Geiwoorn " (tJie Harmonious Shrike Thrush). 



Once upon a time a young hunter named Geiwoorn had fixed 

 his home or shelter of bark (" Lurr '") at the foot of a leaning 

 pine tree on a hill close to the Richardson River (" Barnu- 

 nung," smouldering away). He had two very large dogs, of 

 which he was very fond. These dogs were very useful to him, 

 and he used to depend upon them tor keep up the supply of 

 meat. When the supply of food ran low a word only to the 

 dogs sufficed to send them away by themselves on a hunting 

 expedition, from which they invariably returned with sufficient 

 to last for days. One day, the food running low, the hunter 

 sent his dogs away as usual, but they did not return. For 

 many days the young hunter used to climb up the leaning 

 pine tree to look over the landscape, and to whistle for his 

 dogs. Close to the tree there was a pit of pipeclay, and one 

 day when the hunter was up the tree whistling for his dogs he 

 saw a party of natives come to the claypit, and one of them 

 asked him what he was whistling for. He replied that he was 

 Avhistling for his dogs to come back, but to his great grief he 

 was told that they would never come back, as they had speared 

 them both. The young hunter then set fire to the pine tree at 

 the roots, and it smouldered away, whilst the natives were deco- 

 rating themselves for a corroboree. Some were painting them- 

 selves to represent magpies, black ducks, etc., when, without 

 warning, the smouldering tree fell and killed them all. In a 

 few days' time the poor young hunter died of grief and hunger 

 and became a Harmonious Shrike Thrush (" GeiAvoorn "), and 

 has been whistling ever since. 



Magic Stones or Charms. 



. The Boonyenge mundar, or Rain bringing stone, is a round, 

 smooth stone, resembling white loaf sugar. It was placed in 

 water when rain was required, and when sufficient had fallen 



l(i 



