504 PKOCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 



are travelling with the intention to kill another native belonging 

 to a distant tribe. 



Macdonnell Ranges Tribe. — Tribal name of smoke " Anjura 

 quoorta" (big black smoke) — " Blackfellow dead." Materials 

 used, spinifex and gum. 



TennanVs Creek Tribe. — Tribal name of smoke, ''MuUa-wa- 

 coola." It indicates " Plenty of vi^ater here ; preparing for a 

 corrobboree ; plenty of game." This signal is seen at great dis- 

 tances. 



Powell's Creek blacks say that they can see and read the mean- 

 ings of smoke signals distinctly from Renner's Springs, that is, 

 twenty miles and over; and that they can distinguish smoke signals 

 from Newcastle Waters, fifty-six miles distant. 



Concerning Barrow Creek tribe : Ordinary signals are obser- 

 vable at about twenty miles distance ; but the large dark signal at 

 about sixty miles distance, on account of its forming a cloud appear- 

 ance at the top of the smoke column. This form of signal was 

 used by the native police tracker (who gives much of this informa- 

 tion) after travelling two days and nights, which would be a distance 

 of about eighty miles. This signal of the tracker was answered 

 by his mate from his starting point in probably twenty minutes. 

 Elevations are generally used in cases of distance signalling. 



In the Macdonnell Ranges country the distance at which signals 

 are seen, when blacks are travelling into Tennant's Creek Station, is 

 about fifty miles, but the distance varies according to the nature of 

 the country and the wind 



* About two years ago (1891") or less a black boy died at Eringa 

 Station during the afternoon, and next morning the fact of the 

 death and the boy's name were known at the Alleumba Station, 

 eighty miles distant; the intervening country being heavy scrub 

 and there being no previous intimation to prepare anyone for such 

 news, so far as the informant could discover. The basis of such 

 signals consists of puffs of smoke at various intervals, and con- 

 tinued for a greater or lesser length of time ; further marked by 

 peculiarities of apjjearance relative to the direction of the wind 

 then prevailing. 



f To the east of BaiTow Creek Telegraph Station, on the Sand- 

 over River country, amongst other means used to raise the large 

 dark smoke signal, the custom is to fire large plots of luxuriant 

 growth of grass, having previously overlaid the grass with gieen 

 boughs broken from the adjacent acacia bushes, or a place thickly 

 overgrown with a peculiar succulent acacia may be selected. This 

 acacia contains a large proportion of resinous properties, and burns 

 very freely even when green. The natives have been known in one 

 instance to follow an explorer closely for some forty miles (two 

 days), constantly raising columns of light (the rapid) smokes, and 



* Communicated thioug'h Mr. C. Hope Hiirris, Survey Department, .\dclaide 

 t Mr. Charles Winnecke, explorer, Adelaide. 



