PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 507 
with a little sand, and thus drop it during the sprinkling, 
the palm being turned down. In the N.W.-Central dis- 
tricts, the object may be hidden in the sand while the 
players around, at a given signal, shut their eyes. To make 
a search, the players will pick up a pinch of sand at a time, 
and let it slowly sift through the fingers; the one who finds 
it is usually the one to hide it again. The game may be 
named after the local term signifying an eye, or it may have 
a special name applied. 
Another hide-and-seek game played by the Kokominni 
boys is the koabangan. While all sit round in a circle with 
heads low and hands over their faces, an iguana-claw is 
hidden in the fork of a neighbouring tree; upon a signal 
being given, they will jump up and commence looking for it. 
(6) The Gwess-Game is another good pastime indulged in 
by young and old at Cape Bedford. One of the party may 
perhaps notice a new flower just in blossom, a bird half 
hidden in a bush, a tussock of grass uprooted, &c., and, 
taking care to look in quite a contrary direction—indeed, 
anywhere but in the proper quarter—she will say, “ What 
am I thing of? mim!” They all try to guess, one after the 
other, and great laughter is aroused when the right thing is 
mentioned. 
' Disputative Games.—(a) It was during November, 1898, 
at a camp near the mouth of the Normanby (about 15 miles 
from the coast), that I first came across a Wrestling contest, 
a form of amusement which I subsequently found to be ap- 
parently very common around this Princess Charlotte Bay 
district, in connection with certain of the initiation cere- 
monies, though it may be independent of them. Wrestling 
has since been met with on the Palmer (K MI, donaman), on 
the Pennefather (NGG, artingga), and at Cape Bedford. 
As originally observed, the combatants were all collected on 
a cleared circular space, about 8 yards in diameter (a dis- 
used initiation ground), where I watched them playing one 
morning for quite a couple of hours. Any individual who 
happens to pride himself on his skijl in the game will open 
proceedings by challenging another, while the bystanders, 
egging them both on, and barracking for their respective 
favourites, will smg away and clap their hands in accom- 
paniment. The wrestling itself takes place somewhat on the 
following lines: —Bending forwards, the challenger will grip 
his adversary with both hands round the loins, where he 
interlocks his fingers, so as to maintain a very firm hold ; 
the latter, with arms raised, remains passive, and in this 
position is lifted from off the ground, on to which he is next 
