122 B. H. MATHEWS. 



have been called " the abominations of the Cities of the Plain."* 

 During these performances, which took place in the day time, the 

 men and novices would be naked and painted, and one or two of 

 the men would act as guards to see that no one came upon them 

 unawares. 



The extraction of a front tooth was not practised by any section 

 of the tribes assembled at this Bora, but while at the Mungaroo 

 Camp the novices had their hair cut short, and a few of them who 

 had beards had them cut off. The guardians and other men who 

 accompanied them also had their hair and beards cut short in a 

 similar manner. The cutting off of the hair was probably intended 

 to take the place of knocking out a tooth, or the eating of human 

 ordure, practised by some tribes as stated in previous pages of 

 this paper. 



The ceremonies at the camp at Mungaroo occupied between a 

 week and ten days, at the conclusion of which they washed the 

 red paint off their bodies and painted themselves white, and then 

 started back to the camp at Gundabloui. 



During the absence of the men and catechumens at Mungaroo, 

 the women and children, assisted by such of the men who remained 

 with them, had shifted the main camp about half a mile southerly 

 from its former position.! About two hundred yards westerly 

 from this new camp, a bough yard was erected, similar in size and 

 shape to the one used by the novitiates during their stay in the 



* Anthr. Journ., xiii., p. 450. 



f A long and heated discussion took place with regard to the locality 

 where the new camp should be erected. The Mungindi, Kunopia, and 

 Welltown tribe wished to have it erected at Collybidgelah, seventeen 

 miles from Gundabloui in the direction of Kunopia, and therefore seven- 

 teen miles nearer their respective districts. To have put the camp there 

 would have caused great inconvenience to the other two tribes after the 

 ceremonies were finished, their tauri being in the contrary direction. 

 Eventually the arguments of the two latter tribes prevailed, and the new 

 camp was formed in the place above stated. 



It is customary at these ceremonies to remove the camp during the 

 time the men and boys are away. — Anthr. Jour., xin., p. 454. 



