278 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



water runs along the bed and fills this hole a stone 

 gradually rises with it from the hole, keeping its top 

 clear. It is Goomarh, the spirit-stone of Bahloo, which 

 no mortal would dare to touch ; for from this stone 

 the baby-girls are launched upon their mission of 

 incarnation. The wood-lizard Boomayahmayahmul is 

 the principal artificer of boy-babies, assisted from 

 time to time by Bahloo. The babies, boy and girls, 

 when thus made are usually despatched to another 



\ being who rejoices in the name of Waddahgudjaelwon. 

 She in turn sends them to hang on coolabah (euca- 

 lyptus?) trees until some woman passes under them, 



\ when they immediately pounce on her and enter her 

 womb. Sometimes two drop from the same branch 

 and enter the same woman: then she bears twins. 

 Every child born in this way has a coolabah leaf in 

 its mouth at birth ; and one of the attendant women 

 proceeds to remove it. The whirlwind-spirit Wurra- 

 wilberoo, who seems to have his normal residence 

 in two dark spots in the constellation Scorpio, some- 

 times snatches up a baby-spirit and whirls it along to 

 a woman against whom he has a grudge. Now 

 and then he seizes two and gives her twins. Bahloo 

 has also a spiteful way of punishing a woman for 

 having the temerity to stare at him by sending her twins. 

 A child who dies young is born again. If this were 

 all, the theory of the Euahlayi would hardly differ 

 from that of the Arunta or the blackfellows of Northern 

 Queensland. But it__seems _that_ they do regard a 

 human father as usual and regular ; for only those 

 children who are born with teeth are definitely 

 said to be born without sexual intercourse ; and 

 such babes are put to death. What part the 



