THE TOTEMIC DIVISIONS OF AUSTRALIAN TRIBES. 175 
miscuous intercourse between the sexes is always restricted to 
those individuals who are eligible for marriage. 
A careful study of the table will enable us to determine what 
woman any given man may marry, as well as the section and 
totem names of his children ; but of course before we can do this 
it must be necessary to know the section and totem names of the 
woman he selects as his wife. Assuming that the Ippai of our 
example wishes to marry, it is found by Table B. that he has the 
choice between, (1) Matha emu; (2) Matha brownsnake; (3) 
Matha red kangaroo; and (4) Ippatha eagle-hawk. If he marries 
No. 1, Matha emu, a reference to the table will show that the 
children will be Kubbi and Kubbitha flying-squirrel ; if he chooses 
No. 2. the offspring will be Kubbi and Kubbitha porcupine ; if 
he selects No, 3 the children will be Kubbi and Kubbitha 
bandicoot ; and, if he marries No. 4 the issue will be Oombi and 
Butha grey kangaroo. | 
Tn these tribes a man may marry more than one wife, and if 
his wives belong to different sections and totems, this will further 
vary the names of his offspring. There would, in such a case, be 
sons and daughters of the same household who would belong to 
different totems, as well as to different sections. The children of 
a Matha are always Kubbi and Kubbitha; those of Kubbitha 
are Murri and Matha; those of Ippatha are Oombi and Butha; 
and the children of Butha are always Ippai and Ippatha. There 
is matriarchal descent, and in all cases the children take the totem 
name of their mother’s mother. 
The rules of marriage and descent set out in Table B. applies 
more particularly to the Wiradjuri tribes on the upper portion of 
the Murrumbidgee River, and as we go down that stream we find 
that the pecularity of one totem being the mother of a different 
One is less marked ; and on going north to the Lachlan, Bogan, 
Macquarie, and Castlereagh Rivers, it is observed that the totems _ 
have the same descent as in the Kamilaroi tribes—that is, each 
totem produces itself. It may be stated here that the Wiradjuri 
