729 



the forepart of the body they bite off the inflated abdomen, 

 which contains the sweet fluid. One of their, if not the chief, 

 foods is their ''margu," being the larvae of a big moth found 

 in the roots of the broad-leafed mulga (Acacia keni'peana). 

 The natives seem to detect the grub at the roots by the foliage 

 of the tree, and at once strike the ground with their pointed 

 stick, "wanna," to find the position of the root. Having 

 ascertained this, they soon loosen the earth around and thrust 

 the pointed end of the stick under the root and pressed up 

 sufficiently to be grasped by the hands and forced away from 

 the stem, and at the junction of stem and root the large grub 

 is invariably found. It is sometimes eaten raw by biting off 

 the head and squeezing the contents into the mouth, but they 

 are more often placed in the hot ashes for a few minutes, when 

 the skin is roasted like parchment and the contents attain the 

 consistency and colour of the yolk of an egg, and is of a nutty 

 flavour. 



Water supply. — During good seasons no doubt there are 

 many clay-pans and swampy places, also temporary streams, 

 which would allow the natives to hunt over a large extent of 

 country ; but in dry times, such as it was during this expedi- 

 tion, they are dependent on rock-holes and native wells, the 

 latter being rare and generally shallow dug-outs close to 

 shelving rocks, the catchment holding the water under the 

 sandy soil. The rock-holes are a great feature of this granite 

 country, many being large cisterns, capable of holding 

 hundreds of gallons, while others would only hold a pint or 

 so. To prevent birds and other things getting into the water 

 the natives put boughs and sticks into it, which often discolours 

 and gives the water a bad taint ; in some instances sand is 

 placed in the holes to prevent evaporation. 



Xafire Art. — If anyone could see these natives decorated 

 for ceremonial purposes it would be admitted at once that 

 they possess much decorative skill, the lines upon their bodies 

 being beautifully executed and some of them of striking 

 design. Their rock paintings are very strange, and if the 

 language had been better known much interesting information 

 in connection with these could have been obtained. Red and 

 white were the principal colours, but often designs were made 

 in black. Emu tracks are very often reproduced, also the 

 rough representation of the human form ; one painting was 

 described to me as a hunting sketch, the emu tracks represent- 

 ing a bird going in a certain direction ; then other tracks 

 having been seen an old and a young man had gone one way, 

 whi]e an old man and two young ones had gone another 

 way, this painting having been executed to depict a certain 

 hunt. 



