IMPLEMENTS OF SUPERSTITION AND MAGIC— HAMLYN-HABBIS. 7 



may have been used for magical purposes. Mr. Coghlau, of Glenormiston, to 

 whom we are indebted for a great number of valuable donations, mentions a 

 splinter of wood which had entered the flesh of a combatant during a fight, 

 This was extracted by him and given to the tribesmen, who, after a solemn 

 ceremony, wrapped it in emu feathers and red cloth and were with difficulty 

 persuaded to part with it, since in the hands of an enemy it might be used in 

 sorcery against them. (Q. M. Sp. No. QE 14/552.) 



Medicine men of the now extinct Lankelly tribe used the quartz crystal 

 also for reflecting images (Q. M. Sp. No. QE 14/548), and therefore it would 

 not be unreasonable to suppose that even they whiled away their time practising 

 in their crude way the art of " crystal-gazing." That the crystal has been put 

 to other uses as well is evident from the fact that we have in our collections 

 two large quartz crystals joined together with gum and partially coated with 

 human hair on the surface, evidently a crude representation of a bird's head. 

 The exact locality of this charm is unfortunately unknown. (Q. M. Sp. No. QE 

 14/549.) Charms on the whole are not very plentiful; any pebble or similar 

 object will sometimes do duty as a talisman, and I have seen in North Queens- 

 land small stones worn in a dilly-bag under the arm as a protection against all 

 dangers. Fluor-spar also seems to possess a special virtue, why or how used 

 I have never been able to ascertain. 



Mr. Thomas Illidge (now of Brisbane), who was for many years in close 

 contact with the natives in the early days, gives me the following account of the 

 efficacy of magic and the wonderful power of suggestion, from his own expe- 

 rience ; it is therefore worthy of more than passing notice : — ' ' Many years ago 

 I had a blaekboy working for me, but having missed him for a few days I pro- 

 ceeded to the camp and found he was sick, and under the care of an old black 

 ' doctor' who explained to me what was the matter, and his method of treat- 

 ment. He said the boy was sick because some other blackfellow had cast a spell 

 on him and gave him a pain in his side. The old man's treatment was to put 

 a green (untreated) 'possum-skin (fresh), the hairy side up. over the painful 

 spot, pressed fairly tight. He then made a flat stone about the size of the bottom 

 of a small saucer very hot in the fire, and put it on the 'possum skin and left it 

 as long as the boy could stand it. He said the hot stone melted the fat 10 and that 

 went into the boy and would make him alright. The boy was at work again 

 in a day or two and said he was alright. I looked for that stone but could 



Cf. Roth, Ethnological Studies, chapter xi, p. 284. 



