November 19, 19 14] 



NATURE 



Z^l 



though he may not capture or g^ather it, he may 

 eat it if it be given to him by a man of another 

 g'roup. For the purpose of increasing the supply 

 of the totemic animal or plant, certain magical 

 ceremonies are performed. The bull-roarer and 

 other sacred objects so prominent in the central 

 region was not found among the tribes of the 

 islands, the Coburg peninsula, and coast south- 

 ward. The Kakadu (Alligator River) call the 

 bull-roarer kiitnali and the Larakia (Port Darwin) 

 hiduhidu. The ceremonies in which they are 

 used, and the traditions regarding them, are de- 

 scribed by Prof. Spencer. Burial and mourning 

 ceremonies vary greatly. The Melville islanders 

 bury their dead in graves with elaborately orna- 

 mented grave-posts. The Kakadu of Alligator 



Uali.t, i> lound also among the northern tribes. 

 The lar-off ancestors, as they tra\elled about, 

 shook off spirit- children into ca\'es and trees. 

 These enter the women at these places and are 

 born as natives. The dead go back to their old 

 home, and after a time are born again, the sex 

 being changed at each new birth. Half-castes 

 are the result of eating the white man's flour. 



Two extremely interesting chapters are devoted 

 to traditions and legends. Food restrictions are 

 also dealt with. They show the natives specially 

 hampered by definite rules of eating during child- 

 bearing and youth, age being privileged. 



Separate chapters describe the weapons and 

 implements, clothing and ornaments, and decora- 

 tive art, the latter including rock and bark draw- 



FiG. 3. — Scene from the Mnraiin Ceremony, Ka'iadu Tribe. From •' Native Tribas of the Northtm Territory of Australia. 



River also bury in the ground, but other tribes 

 place the body in a tree. The Larakia follow 

 tree-burial by burial in the earth or ia holes in 

 rocks. The Mara tribe eat their dead, and after 

 ■exposing the bones on a tree platform, bury all 

 but the long bones of the arm. 



An interesting account is given of magic and 

 medicine. Evil is wrought by burning excre- 

 ment. This entices away a man's protecting 

 spirit, and so renders him liable to accident or 

 hunger. The same practice will give a strong 

 man's power to a youth. Maleficent magic is 

 ^Iso wrought with a fragment of the victim's 

 food, or with mud scraped from his foot. Disease 

 Is cured bv eating pounded ant-hill. 



The author discusses the curious belief as to 

 the origin of children' which, as in Central Aus- 



XO. 2351, VOL. 94] 



ings. The illustrations to these chapters, some 

 coloured, show these northern natives to be more 

 advanced artistically than other Australians. 



There is no suggestion of Malay influence in 

 the region, and the author gives reasons against 

 its possibility. The valuable linguistic appendix, 

 mainly relating to three tribes^ shows the lan- 

 guages to be characteristically Australian. 



.\ few inconsistencies and omissions may be 

 noted. The Umbia and Bingongina of p. 483 

 appear as Umbaia (p. 7, 17), Binbinga (p. 7). 

 The organisation of the Maluuru tribe is given 

 (p. 56), but there is no indication of its locale or 

 that of the Allana tribe (p. 483). The use of 

 Austral-English appears in the use of such words 

 as : iroanna, sugar-bag, lubra, pitchi. wurley, 

 miamia, billy, biliabong, tuck-out, and tucker. 



