134 R. H. MATHEWS. 



banggary 1 tribes, described by me elsewhere. Scars are raised 

 upon their bodies, the septum of the nose is pierced, and a front 

 tooth is punched out of each youth, during the ceremonies. The 

 novices are required to pass through the ordeal of inauguration at 

 not less than three meetings of the tribes for that purpose, extend- 

 ing perhaps over a period of several years, and at the conclusion 

 of the proceedings they are presented with spears and other weapons 

 and released from certain prohibitions regarding food — for example 

 they may now eat eggs, iguana, &c., which were before forbidden 

 to them. 



A "bullroarer," 2 called by the natives pipe-ra-chy, is used by the 

 tribes on these occasions ; it is generally made of bloodwood, of 

 the usual shape, with a hole drilled in the smaller end, through 

 which a long string is fastened, to enable the operator to swing it 

 round his head. The size of the instrument varies from about 

 sixteen to twenty inches, and is often ornamented with one longi- 

 tudinal and several transverse bars painted in red ochre on one 

 or both sides. 



Until a youth has graduated in all the inaugural ceremonies of 

 his tribe, and been admitted to the rights and privileges of 

 aboriginal manhood, he cannot take a wife, or be present at any 

 of the councils or deliberations of the men. 



Message sticks 3 are used in summoning tribes for festive or 

 hostile corroborees, and as friendly reminders to relatives at a 

 distance. They consist of small pieces of wood, four or five inches 

 in length, with quadrilateral designs and other rude markings cut 

 upon their surface. Sometimes a bunch of feathers, bound into 

 a cylindrical form by means of string, and about ten inches long, 

 is used for the same purpose. 



1 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc, Philad., Vol. xxxvn., pp. 53-66. 



2 See iny article on the different kinds of "Bullroarers" — Journ. 

 Anthop. Inst., Lond., xxvu., 52 - 60. 



3 The reader is referred to my paper on "Message Sticks" — American. 

 Anthropologist, x., 288 - 297. 



