IMPLEMENTS OF SUPEESTITION AND MAGIC— EAMLYN-HABBIS. 



The amulet to which Roth refers 12 may be described as " a cure-all." A 

 number of specimens in the Queensland Museum collections were examined by 

 me under X rays, and disclosed the fact that only a very 

 small minority carry a piece of slender bone in their interior. 

 1 (Q.M. Sp. No. QE 14/560.) 



An interesting example of a rain-stick has recently been 

 presented to the Queensland Museum, and I am indebted 

 to the donor, Mr. T. Illidge, for the few details regarding 

 it. This carved stick, 755 mm. in length, is one 

 originally used by Queensland aboriginals 13 west of Cler- 

 mont for the purpose of making rain. The stick, quite 

 plain on the under side, was much valued and, as with 

 similar instruments used elsewhere, was tabu to the 

 women, and has much in common with those referred to 

 by Roth. 14 The method of use was for one of the old 

 members of the tribe, without the knowledge of the camp, to 

 hide this stick in one of the half-dried-up waterholes, then 

 notify to the camp the necessity of a corrobborie; after 

 which the men only, accompanied by the old man as guide, 

 commenced a search, visiting a number of holes before 

 reaching the correct one, where the stick was unearthed. 

 They then gathered themselves together in a circle and 

 threw mud and water up in the air and over themselves 

 until sunset, when they returned to camp and commenced 

 another dance in which all male members of the camp took 

 part and waited expectantly for the downpour of rain. 

 All over, the stick would be again secreted in some rocky 

 cave, where it would remain until further required. The 



text-figure gives a good idea of the carving on the surface, the circles representing 



the sun and moon. 



o 







fc-t H 



« \ 



m > 



"Eotli, North Queensland Ethnography, Bulletin 5, paragraph 154. 



13 For purposes of convenience*! am using the term ' ' Aboriginal " in a more restricted 

 sense as denoting individualistic traits in contradistinction to racial characteristics as implied 

 by "Aborigine." 



14 W. E. Eoth, Ethnological Studies, chap. xii. 



