352 R, H. MATHEWS. 



were too vigilant. At last the night owl, bulliir, undertook 

 to watch them. This bird is the colour of the bark of trees 

 and sits motionless, so that it is very hard to see him as 

 he sits on the upper side of a branch. 



Bulliir went away ahead, making a wide detour, and 

 climbed a tree near a waterhole where the women used to 

 go. By and by they made their appearance, carrying a 

 fine fat iguana, and camped under the tree in which the 

 man was watching. They gathered some sticks and grass 

 and took the needle-bush nut out of their bag. The fire 

 came out of the nut and kindled the wood, and while they 

 were cooking the iguana, one of the women stood waving 

 her hands to and fro above the fire, to keep the smoke from 

 ascending, while she sang : 



Ngullu ngulludhur butthu biiddha. 



As soon as the meat was cooked the fire was again put 

 into the nut, after which the women had a hearty meal 

 which made Bullur's mouth water. When the day got 

 cooler they started back to the camp, and as soon as they 

 were out of sight, Bullur followed their example. When 

 he reported the details he had observed regarding the fire, 

 a council was held and it was decided to hold a big cor- 

 roboree, and invite the two fire-women to favour it with 

 their presence. It was hoped that the women might be 

 seized with a fit of laughter, or become so absorbed in the 

 performances, as to relax their attention to the bag con- 

 taining the fire, and thus give some dexterous fellow a 

 chance to snatch it up and run away with it. 



When all the people had assembled on the corroboree 

 ground, the chief actors were painted in different colours 

 and performed in their most mirth-provoking style ; but it 

 was all unavailing. The gimma and the yummar sat stoic- 

 ally beside each other, with the precious bag held between 

 them, as if it had more claims upon their attention than 



