320 R. H. MATHEWS. 



exchange the one which fell off. And if it be necessary to 

 cross a watercourse or swamp when out hunting, the novices 

 are carried over on the men's shoulders. 



Whilst the men and novices are away in the bush, if any 

 of the men at the women's camp wish to go out to see 

 them, they shout bu-u-u ! when they arrive within hearing, 

 and the bush mob answer them in the same way. They 

 march on, uttering the same sound, and are answered again 

 and again until they get close enough to the men's camp, 

 where they are met by the old chiefs, and state the purport 

 of their visit. 



Every aboriginal camp is kept free of excrementitious 

 matter. When any of the people attend to a necessity of 

 nature, they make a hole in the ground and cover the deposit 

 over with earth. Tiiis is perhaps not so much on account 

 of cleanliness as from their superstitious fear of anything 

 belonging to them being picked up by evil spirits, or enemies 

 prowling about the camp, at night or any other time. 



When the ceremonies in the bush are over, the novitiates 

 are brought back to the confines of the women's camp, 

 where a wall or screen of boughs has been erected, and a 

 fire lit at the butt of a tall tree close by. When the men 

 and boys get within about a mile of this place, they form 

 into a sinuous line, and advance in a kind of jog. All the 

 novices are in the front, painted and having a forked, leafy 

 bough fastened on each shoulder. Each boy's mother's 

 brother runs in front of him, with his guardian on one side. 

 On arriving within sight of the bough screen, the mothers 

 and aunts go out to meet their sons, each carrying a bunch 

 of twigs in her hand. A mother and her sister take their 

 places one on each side of her son and jog on with him. 

 They each strike him lightly on the hips with their twigs, 

 and shout "yer! yer!" as they move onward. When the 

 novices arrive in front of the fire, they come to a stand, 



