ABORIGINAL TKIBES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. 309 



After all the ceremonial connected with the reception of 

 the strangers is disposed of, they disperse, and erect their 

 quarters on the side of the general camping ground facing 

 towards their own territory. Several days, and in some 

 cases weeks, may intervene between the arrival of the first 

 mob and that of the last contingent, and in order to occupy 

 and amuse the people during this time, corroborees are 

 held every fine night by the light of the camp fires. As 

 soon as the last tribe has arrived, the headmen assemble 

 at the ngulubul, and having consulted each other, they 

 determine the day when the novices shall be taken charge 

 of for the purpose of initiation. The band of men who 

 shall have control of the procedure in the bush are also 

 chosen at this meeting. 



When all the invited tribes have reached the common 

 meeting ground, a series of special corroborees commences. 

 The first of this series takes place on the evening of the 

 day of the arrival of the last mob. At this dance, while 

 the women are beating their folded skins as usual, an old 

 man taps a couple of sticks together and stamps one foot 

 on the ground, and utters the grunt-like exclamations, 

 "Rirt! yeh! wall ! " Next day there is another dance, 

 when the old man changes the exclamation to " Yeh ! yeh ! 

 wirr ! " At the dance which takes place the same evening, 

 the old man shouts "Birr! wall! wirr !" Different words 

 are employed at each dance in prescribed order. On the 

 evening preceding the breaking up of the encampment, the 

 old man calls out "Bui! yeh!" On hearing this, every- 

 body knows that is the last dance of the carnival. At the 

 conclusion of the dance some of the men pretend to quarrel, 

 and others run apparently to quell the disturbance, which 

 suddenly ceases, and then all hands retire for the night. 



Next morning all the people are astir at daylight, and the 

 proponents for initiation are mustered out of the entire 



