ABORIGINAL SMOKE SIGNALS. 501 



Australia. For the purposes of sig^nalling the following are those 

 most generally in use, viz.* : — 



[A) — A slender column of pale hued smoke. 



(jB) — A heavy column of pale-hued smoke. 



( C) — A slender column of black or dark smoke. 



(Z)) — A heavy column of black or dark smoke. 



. ti\ ) A spiral coil-form of pale smoke. 



^ (A spiral coil-form of dark smoke. 



(^F) — Interrupted or intermittent smokes, e.ff., in form of cut-off 

 sections of smoke; side puffs of smoke ; "balls" (or 

 ''balloons or cloudlets") of smoke ; parallels of smoke, 

 either from the same fire or from adjacent fires : two or 

 more in line. 



[G) — Groups or clusters of smokes. The individual smokes 

 may be alike, or may be of different form or hue, and 

 together convey code-meanings. Festoons of smoke 

 are also used. 



The following are the methods of producing the smokes specified, 

 Avith the names of tribes using them, their code-meanings so far as 

 yet learned in the localities named, and illustrations of their use : — 



(^)— SLENDER COLUMN OF TALE-HUED SMOKE. 



Produced by use of dry material, gum leaves, spinifex, dry grass, 

 dry wood — a small quantity. A short-distance signal. 



Powell's Creek Tribe. — One thousand four hundred and fifty 

 miles north from Adelaide ; native name of tribe, Warramunga, 

 extending from Towell's Creek to Attack Creek. A piece of hard 

 wood I2in. long, ' tarunga," is held steady on the ground; another 

 2)iece of hard wood, " tarramee," by friction causes smoke to 

 appear on ttie "tarunga." Powdered grass, " bii/ei'a," is placed 

 by the " tarunga," and the flame raised by blowing with the 

 mouth on the heated touchwood. The fire, " bobar," is then made 

 of grass. " bigera," and bushes. '" nanuUo." When a native first 

 notices the smoke rising from a distant signal he says " bobar." fire, 

 " wahjungieto wahjo," look out smoke. The pale thin smoke 

 is named "■ bobuckbee," meaning "one fellow sit down ill, send a 

 man!" — a distress signal; the sick si'jnaller is named "Boggo- 

 lunnie." 



Barroiv Creek Trihe. — The signal means "We are bringhig a 

 young man to be initiated into the full rights of the tribe"; his 

 coming of age. 



* The information conoevning- the Smoke Signals of Central Australian Tribes named below 

 has been supplied (through the kind courtesy of Sir Charles Todd, K.C.M.G., Superin- 

 tendent of Telegraphs, South Australia) by the following gentlemen, viz. : — 



Barrow Creek Tribe, by Mr. J. McKay, stationniastei-, Barrow Creek Telegraph Station ; 

 jSIacdonnell Hanges Tribe, by Mr. F. J. Gillen, stationmaster, Alice Springs Telegraph 

 St ilion ; PoweU'o Creek Tribe, by Mr. W. C. .T. Tracey, stationmaster, Powell's Creek 

 Telegraph Station ; Tennant's Creek Tribe, by Mr. Scott, IVnnant's Creek. 



