54 THE ABORIGINES OF THE LOWER MURRAY, LOWER 
the ground in a particular manner, an awkward cast is certain to 
result in a broken toy, when the tiny thing bounds away witha 
velocity almost incredible, the long tail-like wand being visible 
all the time that the momentum continues, twirling and twining 
above the grass, more like a sentient creature than an inanimate 
y- These toys frequently go quite 400 yards in their eccentric 
running bounds. 
> 
oO 
= 
2 
oe 
nm 
5 
© 
i] 
fe) 
) 
cS 
[= 
=] 
@ 
oy 
mn 
3 
ae 
Ss 
the progress of a game are numerous, each player provides himself 
with several wotchwies before the game commences. 
Doubtless this wotchwie racing seems a simple enough kind of 
pastime when thus described on paper, still I have seen as much 
excited enthusiasm engendered in watching the fluctuations of the 
tiny hoppers as e’er a rink of curling gave rise to on a well-frozen 
tech loch. 
These matches are conducted as follows bay 4 thickish dise of 
red gum bark 1s prepared: it is about a foot in diameter, and 
competitors to the other. It is during the rapid progression 
to make it appear but a common occurrence, therefore not worth 
making a noise about ; although perhaps, if the truth were know?, 
he never came even near doing such a thing before. 
Another favourite amusement of theirs is the skipping-rope ; not 
the tiny clothes-line affair with two handles of wood, so much 
affected by school girls; no, indeed, their skipping rope is 20 
or more feet long. It is made of a duck net loosely twisted ; it 3 
