136 
hands. The stick held between the palms of the hands is rubbed rapidly to and fro, 
and some pressure is exerted downwards. When the hands nearly touch the flat 
piece of wood, they are suddenly raised almost to the top of the vertical stick, but 
so skilfully as to keep the stick in its place, and then again the twirl and downward 
pressure follow, und the movements are repeated until the charcoal dust ignites. 
When the sticks are dry, smoke and fire soon arise in the hole in the flat 
piece of wood. The native, having previously reduced to powder some dry leaves of 
the^ Eucalyptus, which easily ignite, turns or tilts the flat piece of wood towards the 
powdered leaves at the moment when ignition occurs, and soon gets a fire. 
Method 2.—Out of a suitable piece of wood, the aborigine cuts a knife—in 
shape almost like a butcher’s knife,—and in another piece he cuts a long thin slit. 
In the slit he places finely powdered dry gum-leaves, or powdered dry grass, or some 
other inflammable substance. Placing the stick with a longitudinal slit in it in a 
secure position, he rubs the wooden knife across or at right angles to the slit very 
rapidly, holding the knife generally with the right hand, and, for the purpose of 
giving greater energy and steadiness to his movements, keeping the right wrist 
fir ml y in the left hand. Instead of preparing a second stick with the longitudinal 
slit in it, he not seldom takes advantage of the cracks in the trunk of a dry fallen 
tree. Some dry substance carefully reduced to powder by the hand is put into the 
cracks, and the wooden knife, used in the same manner as above described, soon 
produces smoke and fire. In use on the Lower Murray, near Swan Hill. 
Lower Murray, Lower Murrumbidgee, Lower Lachlan, Lower Darling. 
The account by Mr. P. Beveridge ( Proc. Roy. Soc. N.S. JR., 1883, 67) of the method 
adopted hy the aborigines in the above-mentioned districts is practically identical 
with that just described. 
Method 3.—The operator places himself in a sitting posture, and having 
planted in the ground a strong stick, in which a longitudinal slit has been made, or 
in which there is a natural slit, and having filled the slit with dry powdered gum- 
leaves or the like, he draws the stick towards him, and keeps it firmly in its place 
by pressing his chest against it. In his hand he holds the wooden knife, which he 
rubs rapidly across the stick until he gets fire. (North-Eastern Australia.) 
Method 1.— 
(a) In the Yarra district of Victoria. “ Native Mulberry ” (Hedycarya 
Cunningliami) is used for the upright stick and “Mint Bush” (Prostanthera 
lasianthos) is used for the stationary piece. 
{h) Eor an account of the use of the wood of Hedycarya pseudomorus 
( Cunninghumi) at Western Port, Victoria, see Brough Smyth, Trans. Roy. Soc. 
Viet., vi, p. xxxiv (Proc.). 
(c) At the Endeavour River to Herberton River, Queensland, Hibiscus 
tiliaceus, L., as the rotatory piece, and Mollinedia subternata, Bailey, as the 
stationary piece. 
