17 



plenty of fire ; and long way under this place is a large water 

 called "Burcoot," where one blackfellow named " Madjuit- 

 Madjuit" sits down. He regulates the tides according to the 

 changes of the moon. He, like " Mangararrah" and " Nan- 

 ganburrah," never dies. 



The tradition of the natives in the neighbourhood as to their 

 origin is as follows : — A long time ago a big woman called 

 " "Warahmoorungee," in a state of pregnancy, came from the 

 North, there being no water on earth at that time. She arrived 

 at Port Essington, and finding it to be a good country she 

 made a large fire in the ground, which, when burned out, made 

 the sea and all the water. She then left plenty of blackfellows 

 of both sexes and went further away into the bush, made more 

 water and left more blackfellows, and gave each tribe a 

 different language. After this she left a fire in the ground a 

 long way in the bush, and set three blackfellows to watch it to 

 prevent it breaking out. Should they neglect to look after it 

 the fire will come and burn all blackfellows. " Warahmooriin- 

 gee," after walking about a little longer, died and turned into 

 a stone a long way in the bush. 



These natives have no idea of a future state of existence. 



Note A. 



Melville Island, about 30 miles north of Port Darwin, is 

 inhabited by a tribe of which very little is known. They do 

 not circumcise, and speak a different language from those on 

 the mainland. They are represented as a very strong and 

 powerful race. 



Before the arrival of the Hon. B. T. T'inniss at Escape Cliffs, 

 in 1864, the Melville Island natives occasionally visited the 

 mainland for the purpose of stealing lubras, in which they 

 invariably succeeded ; but they have not done so since. This 

 tribe is of a very hostile nature, and on several occasions have 

 attacked Europeans visiting the island. Their canoes and 

 weapons are similar to those on the mainland. 



Note B. 

 A tribe or tribes inhabiting the western coast of the Grulf 

 of Carpentaria, and for about 100 miles inland, between the 

 Eoper and Nicholson Rivers, have a most disgusting and 

 unnatural practice of slitting the penis along the urethra from 

 its opening right down to the root. AVhen about the age of 

 fourteen years the youth are circumcised by the old men with- 

 out any particular ceremony or formality, and when about 

 eighteen years old the operation of slitting up the urethra is 

 performed on those selected for that purpose. It is done with 



