364 R. H. MATHEWS. 



times in quick succession, until tlie man became very sick 

 at the stomach and quite helpless. Wallanthagang would 

 now carry the man to a bull-dog ants' nest, and lay him 

 down on top of it, so that these insects might sting him 

 until he recovered. [S. E. Coast of N. S. Wales.] 



The Wawi and Song-makers. — The Wawi is a serpent- 

 like creature which lives in deep waterholes, and burrows 

 into the bank, where he makes his den. He has a wife and 

 children who camp close to him, but in a different place. 

 A "doctor" or clever man can go and see the Wawi, but 

 must not go near his family. When a man is going on a 

 visit to this monster he must paint his body all over with 

 red ochre. He then follows after the rainbow some day 

 when there is a thunder-shower ; and the end of the rain- 

 bow rests over the waterhole in which is the Wawi's abode. 

 The man then dives under the bank, where he finds the 

 Wawi, who conducts him into his den and sings him a new 

 song lor the corroboree. The man repeats the song after 

 the Wawi until he has learnt it sufficiently, and then starts 

 hack to his own people. When they see him returning, 

 painted red and singing, they know he has been with the 

 Wawi. The bard then takes a few of the other clever men 

 with him into the bush and they strip pieces of bark off 

 trees, and paint different devices upon them with coloured 

 clays. The pieces of bark ornamented in this way are 

 taken to the corroboree ground, and all the men dance, and 

 sing the new song. This is how new songs and dances are 

 obtained. The Wawi has the magic power of varying his 

 size from a few inches up to prodigious proportions. The 

 black streak in the Milky Way, towards the Southern Cross, 

 is one of the ancestors of the Wawi. He encourages snakes 

 and adders to bite the black people. [Wirraidyuri Tribe.] 



Achievements of the Brambambults. — In the distant 

 past there lived in the north-western districts of Victoria 



