ANECDOTES. 107 



mouths. This precaution so disappointed the tortoise, that he asked the snake 

 to allow him to transfer his deadl}' venom to it ; and argued that, since the 

 natives had adopted another mode of drinking, he had no opportunity of 

 destroying them, but that the snake had many opportunities of biting them in 

 their vvuurns and among the long grass. The snake agreed to the proposal, and 

 ever afterwards the tortoise has been harmless. This method of drinking, 

 however, which was adopted to avoid the bite of the tortoise, still continues. 



THE BLUE HERON. 



Once upon a time, while a large meeting was being held at a place near 

 Dunkeld, and the natives were encamped under a wide-spreading red gum-tree, 

 and were enjoying a feast of small fish, one of their number was so displeased 

 because he did not get the whole of the fish to himself, which had been distributed 

 to his tribe, that he took the form of a heron, and, lighting on the tree, knocked 

 it down and killed nearly the whole of the tribe. Those who escaped ran ofi' and 

 told the other tribes who were encamped in the neighbourhood what had 

 happened. When they came to the spot, they found that the heron had eaten all 

 the fish. In revenge they laid upon him the curse that his spirit would fly about 

 for ever in the form of a blue heron, and then they killed him. 



THE NATIVE COMPANION AND THE EMU. 



A native companion and an emu, each with a brood of young ones, went to 

 a swamp to get sedge roots, which are very good to eat. They kindled a fire on 

 the bank in which to cook the roots, and then waded into the water to get a 

 supply. The native companion pulled up a number of roots, and returned to the 

 fire, provided with a long pole, with which she pushed the roots into the fire, 

 and had them all covered up, and the pole hidden, before the emu returned with 

 her supply. The emu had only a very short stick, which was soon burnt in 

 trying to push her roots into the fire. She used first one foot and then the other. 

 Both got scorched. She tried her wings next, then her bill, and had them 

 .scorched likewise. She ran to the swamp to cool her bums. On her return she 

 found the native companion and her young ones digging the roots out of the fii-e 

 with the long pole, and eating them. The emu was very ill pleased at the trick. 



