NOTES ON SOME NATIVE TRIBES OF AUSTRALIA. Af 
of the entire ceremony is to charm the intended victim so 
that he will not go away from the camp he may then happen 
to be in, but will remain there spell bound and powerless, 
till his pursuers reach him. At each of their camping 
places on the journey forward, exactly thesame procedure 
is gone through, including the marking of a fresh tree every 
morning. Having reached their destination and discovered 
the whereabouts of the tribe they are in quest of, they go 
as hear aS may be considered safe and make a camp in 
some secluded spot, where they are not likely to be observed. 
Two clever men are now sent on ahead as spies, to make 
full and careful observations of the hostile camp, for the 
purpose of discovering in what part of it the man they are 
in search of has his quarters, the numerical strength of 
the tribe, any points of vantage, and so on. 
During the time these spies are away reconnoitring 
the men who are left behind have marked a tree, and 
cleared the ground around it, as on the other occasions. 
They have painted their faces and chests white, with 
patches of the same colour on their upper arms. They 
have likewise built a bough screen around and above their 
little fire, to prevent its being seen at a distance after 
dark. This bough covering is made in the following manner: 
A few small saplings are cut and placed on end around the 
fire, which is in the centre. The cut ends of the stems 
of the saplings are inserted in the ground, with the upper 
or leafy extremities leaning against each other over the 
fire, in the form of a pyramid or cone. Another leafy 
bough is now placed in the apex, with the stem downwards, 
much in the same way that a keystone is used by stone- 
masons, 
As soon as the spies obtain the first glimpse of the 
general camp of their adversaries, they crouch down in a 
depression in the surface of the ground, or hide among 
