ABORIGINAL TRIBES OF NEW SOUTH WAKES AND VICTORIA. 367 



chest and killed her. The Brambambults were somewhat 

 annoyed with the lark for depriving them of the honour of 

 slaying the ngindyal ; but as a common enemy had fallen, 

 they did not quarrel about it. 



The Brambambults then split each feather of the ngin- 

 dyal down the middle, casting one half of the feathers on 

 the right hand side and the other half on the left, making 

 two heaps. One of these heaps of feathers was converted 

 into a cock and the other heap into a hen, of the present 

 race of emus, which are incomparably smaller than the 

 ngindyal. It was also arranged by the sorcery of the 

 Brambambults that all future emus should lay a number of 

 eggs, instead of one only. The splitting of the feathers 

 above mentioned is still easily observable in the feathers 

 of all emus, which are double, or consist of two independent 

 shafts. 



All the people then journeyed away to Wombagriik to get 

 the egg on which the ngindyal had been sitting. Although 

 every body tried their best, none of them could lift the egg, 

 till babim'bal, a sort of wattle-bird, came. He picked it 

 up and put it into his bag, and carried it to Horsham Plain, 

 where it was cooked and made a great feast. The nest in 

 which the large egg lay is said to be still visible at Wam- 

 bagriik. The ngindyal now occupies the black patch in the 

 constellation of the Southern Cross, and the crow was 

 changed to a Argus, at a respectful distance from his 

 ancient pursuer. 



2. Ngaut-ngaut. — Ngaut-ngaut lived out in the Mallee 

 country of Western Victoria, and belonged to the Ngur- 

 rumba-nguttya people, in the far-off legendary age. He 

 used to kill blackfellows and suck their blood. It was 

 impossible to hurt him with a spear or any other weapon, 

 except in the tongue, which was the only vulnerable part 

 of his body. The two Brambambults went out to punish 



