118 THE ABORIGINAL NAMES OF RIVERS 
indeed, be regarded as having more softness about it than dentals, 
sibilants, and gutturals. In that respect it has a fitness for being 
shown to represent water ; still, it is not to be regarded as having 
the important imitative element in any such way as pertains to m. 
Searching the vocabularies, we find the simple phe oba, water, with 
variations, such as oboit and obait about Port Essington in the north- 
é At Cape York there is ept, meaning fresh water, and bubba, 
meaning a stream ; still at Cape York is wpw meaning a chain of 
s. In Western Australia there is appa, water, and in South 
Australia, apa, appa, appu, appy, all meaning water. But now 
further, 6 and p in other languages, by ordinary course of phonetic 
ear and tear, soften down to a mere vowel sound, or to a sound 
cole by w or v. Have the aborigines displayed the same 
tendency in the words used to designate water? We have seen the 
abundant use of the forms in 6 and p; how does the matter stand 
at the point now raised? The vocabularies soon settle that 
question, for we find the forms ow-wa, awwie, owey, owy, all mean- 
ing water in West and South Australia. When we come to the 
gazetteers we find such forms as Obi-obi Creek in Queensland, 
Bobo Creek in the Manning district. This name, it may be noticed 
in passing, sina resembles the word bubbu, a stream, at Cape 
Yor is also Bubbah-Bubbah Swamp. Still, farther there 
is Bobialla Creek, also Boobala Creek in New South Wales ; and 
closely resembling these, Booby-alla River in Tasmania. There are 
oomi and Bema Crecks, Wingecaribbe Creek and Swamp, 
Goadradighee River, Ingeegoodbee Waterfall, Umutbee Swap, 
Wollonaby Creek, Mais yibbee Creek, Werribee River, 
nappre, a name of snake Bay in South Australia. In the 
E 
= 
a name of | the i bees River ; Currowa Springs, Mattewne Fort 
Denison, Stelowie Creek, Nepowie Creek, Narowie Creek. To 
these may be added Eba and Pulbah, names of islands, one in South 
Australia, the other in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. 
These are noticed now because as we proceed the evidence will 
multiply that islands, headlands, and meadowlands have received 
names from words which have reference to water, the same thing 
Be occurred in ordinary course in other parts of the world. 
American dialects the forms beat and ewbi mean the same. Pun- 
jaub in India is the country of the five rivers. The forms in pare 
also numerous, Apu, water, is Sanserit. Aph, water, is found in 
Beloochistan. In the west of Europe, numerous streams W. 
names end in p are understood to embody the same root: thus 
Barop, Lennep, Oppa. 
pes ee ek es 
