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or three hundred yards away. At about 7 p.m., or as soon as 

 the moon is well-up (these ceremonies are always performed 

 during full moon), a weird cry is heard in the distance. All in 

 the vicinity of the circle are still as death ; the plaintive cry, 

 w^hich much resembles the shriek of the stone-plover, continues and 

 as it approaches nearer the chief in a low voice now and then 

 commands silence. After about ten or fifteen minutes, between 

 thirty or forty warriors, painted and most gorgeously arrayed 

 in head-dresses of emu -plumes and other fanciful coverings, 

 advance from the direction of the cry, and from the midst 

 of these advancing warriors one of the fleetest darts forward 

 towards the circle, and at every thirty or forty yards falls 

 prone to the earth, with his ear close to the ground. This 

 is repeated until near the circle, when he glances hurriedly 

 at the seated figures and rapidly returns to his fellow-warriors, 

 with the assurance that all is right and everything is ready for 

 the ceremony. The warriors then advance in a compact body to 

 the centre of "the circle," seating themselves face inwards and 

 with heads bowed to the ground. One of the guardians from 

 beneath the brush-shelter then approaches these warriors, and 

 with a piece of yellow ochre makes a cross on the backs of about 

 half of their number, thus indicating the individuals who are to 

 seize the boys that are to undergo the rite. In the meantime the 

 elderly men who have charge of the boys are seated on the convex 

 side of the brush-fence. A corroboree is now commenced, in 

 which the women in their camp take part. This corroboree, or 

 chant, has no reference to the ceremony ; but its purpose is 

 rather to divert the attention of the boys from the ordeal that 

 awaits them. I w^as informed that the boys did not know what 

 w^as to be done to them; but from their abject looks I am inclined 

 to think that they must have had some i:lea. On the whole, 

 however, they behaved very well indeed. No young boys or girls 

 are admitted within sight of " the circle," but are compelled to 

 remain in the camp w^ith the old women, while the corroboree 

 still goes on, with a dirge-like monotony, until very near daylight. 

 Suddenly all are startled by the chief, who, in a loud voice, 

 demands the boys from the elderly natives, and commands the 

 yellow-cross warriors to seize them and bring them into " the 

 circle," one of the elderly men accompanying each boy. On 

 entering " the circle " a yellow-cross w^arrior drops on his hands 

 and knees, another throws a boy across the kneeling warrior's 

 back, and one of the old men advancing with a piece of sharp 

 flint called "Boorawa," takes the end of the foreskin between the 

 thumb and flnger and cuts the end oft', which he places on a 

 piece of paperbark. He then takes the penis between the thumb 

 and forefinger, turns it up, and slits the urethra close to the back 



