ABORIGINAL TRIBES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. 363 



their camp. He wished, however, to make quite sure that 

 the man was dead before he left him, and after going but 

 a short distance, he jumped back suddenly, but the man 

 lay quite still. The Yaroma got a piece of grass and tickled 

 the man's feet, and then his nose, but he did not move a 

 muscle. Finally he got a bull-dog ant and made it sting 

 the man's penis, but he never flinched. The Yaroma, think- 

 ing he was certainly dead, again started away for help, 

 and when he got a good distance off, the man, seeing his 

 opportunity, got up and ran with all his speed into the 

 water close by, and swam to the opposite shore and so 

 escaped. [South-east coast of N. S. Wales.] 



Wallanthagang. — Wallanthagang was a small man-like 

 creature, but very thick-set and strong. He wore a lot of 

 pretty feathers in his hair, and carried a large bundle of 

 light spears. He obtained his food by catching parrots 

 which he speared in the feet, so that their bodies might 

 not be damaged for eating. He frequented the thick tea- 

 tree scrubs and brush in the swamps near Oambewarra 

 mountain, in the Nowra district, because parrots are usually 

 very numerous about there. He had a bag slung over his 

 shoulder in which he carried these birds. Only one of these 

 men are ever seen at the same time, and his camp fire has 

 never been observed, nor any place where he had been 

 camping or resting. The clever old blackfellows can some- 

 times hear one of these animals calling out yau ! yau! 

 yauh ! If a blackfellow met Wallanthagang in the bush he 

 would not speak, unless first addressed. He would then 

 imitate what the man said, as if trying to learn the language. 

 The blackfellow would probably think this boy-like personage 

 was poking fun at him, and give Wallanthagang a clout. 

 He would then rush at the blackfellow, and catching hold 

 of him, throw him up several feet into the air, and let him 

 fall heavily upon the ground. This would be repeated many 



