i°7 
possession of the Rev. T. Saville, lately rector of St. John’s Church 
of England, Kalgoorlie, who has since taken them to London. 
Figures n and 12 represent similar boards, but of smaller size. 
These are held one in each hand by the dancer who rests the 
tapered end on the ground. He then lowers and raises himself, 
making his legs tremble and his muscles quiver to an extra- 
ordinary extent, the attitude of the body being similar to that 
of the right-hand individual in figure 23. This art of trembling 
is largely used by all aboriginals here, and is intended apparently 
to exaggerate in a theatrical manner the appearance of great 
excitement. Figure No. 15 was found by Mr. W. F. Trencher, 
a post office official, hidden in a hollow tree near Mount Margaret, 
Murchison Goldfield. The tree had an exterior mark that had 
been made with a tomahawk, evidently for the purpose of identi- 
fication. This board is now in the possession of Mr. E. Tunes, 
Telegraph Inspector, Coolgardie. Nos. 16, 17 and 18 are from 
Annean, Murchison Goldfields, and are in the Western Australian 
Museum, Perth. The sinuous patterns on Nos. 10 to 12 is used 
frequently also in the ornamentation of “ womeras,” implements 
that are used for spear-throwing. In respect to No. 10 a re- 
markable explanation was made by the aboriginal who made it. 
Commencing at the smaller end, he said that it was “ the tail of 
one snake which went along ” to the point where the pattern is 
doubled, “ then little snake meet him, and then two fellow go 
along together till tittle one go down into hole, then one fellow 
snake go on.” He said “ coondang ” is the name given to the 
“ God-snake ” and “ nowarra ” the name for an ordinary snake. 
The name “coondang” has already been mentioned as one of 
the names for a dancing board. Figure 14 evidently intended to 
be a representation of a snake, there being two eye-holes cut at 
one end. The pattern on figure 16 may be intended to represent 
this also. There seems, therefore, to be evidence here of the 
cult of snake worship, and it is probably combined with phallic 
or sex worship, for the boards may be symbols of the latter. 
The aboriginals at Kalgoorlie informed the writer that their 
“ doctors ” are believed to have the power of (light in the air 
when they possess a “ Coondang ” the power being exercised when 
the “ doctor ” is alone. This idea of flight is interesting, for it is 
possibly their method of representing clairvoyance. 1 he subject 
is evidently one of their mysteries and the v\ 1 iter has not been 
able to glean any instances of its use, through having only a 
meagre acquaintance with their language. Another aboriginal 
stated that these boards represent a dark patch in the “ Milky 
Way ” in the firmament, the story being that “ Father and 
mother walk about (travel) with little black boy, and by and by 
little fellow take them round, and stop one place, and no more 
seen. Mother stop in camp looking after tucker. Father follow 
him up, and find out that the boy had picked up a ‘ coondang ’ 
