Stirling and Waite — Description of Toas 111 



named by the Muraimira Wittiniarkani of tlu' Diari tribe; 172 and 1<)8 refer 

 to the same place also as having- Ijeen named l)y Wittiniarkani, bnt of the 

 Pillatapa tribe; while numbers 47 and 124 refer to a similar leg^end respecting 

 the place Kanjalnra, named by the Muramura 'I'urnpillana of the Tirari tribe. 

 All these references relate to places strewn with small sharp stones. Toas 

 numbered 96, 238 and 246 similarly indicate the place strewn with lunu bones. 



In a few cases, duplication was detected 1)efore the plates were arrang-ed 

 and the illustrations invo]\'ed are omitted; as, however, the numbers are 

 attached to the specimens exhilnted in the Museum, their setpience could not 

 well Ik- (listurl)ed, in such cases the i)laces cif the 'i'oas on the plates are occu- 

 pied by their respecti\e numbers only. 



It is interesting to notice that \-ariations of the same legend mav be held 

 to account for different olijects, as in the case of numbers 54 and 129, the 

 respecti\e Toas representing features deriv-ed from the actiiins of the Mura- 

 mura Yelkal)ahibaluna. 



Had Sir iulwarrl .Stirling li\-ed to com]dete this pa]ier he w(]uld doubtless 

 have instituted comparisous with the legends of trilies in other parts of 

 Australia, and would ha\ e infused into the work his wide ])ersonal knowledge 

 and extensive reading of the literature of the alioriginal. The actual descrip- 

 tions of the Toas were, for the most ])art, compiled In- Sir I'.dw-ard ; I am 

 responsible for the selection of tlie niatter com])j-ising- the introductory 

 portion. A portrait of my late friend accompanies this paper. 



E.R.W. 



SIGNIFICANCE of the TOAS. 



The purport of the Toas may lie described as toi)ogra]ihical in the sense 

 that each represents, and serxes as an indicator or sign-post to, some parti- 

 cular locality. Their shape, colours, patterns or a])i)endages depict, realistic- 

 ally or ideog-ra])hically. either certain consjncuous or peculiar natural features 

 of the localities represented, or, \-er_\- frerpiently, these details have reference 

 to episodes which are l)clie\-ed to have occurred during the frequent legen- 

 dary wanderings of the Mnramuras. 



It is with the incessant wanderings of these Mnramuras, and with their 

 songs of in\-ocation and ceremonies, that the legends of the nati\-es are chiefly 

 concerned; moreoxer, the natixe i)lace-names of the district, which are be- 

 lieved to have been given bv the Mnramuras, are derived either from episodic 

 happenings in the course of these wanderings or from some physical feature 

 characteristic of the locality. The Toa, then, symbolizes the locality, and 



