70 
HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
At Tempo Downs the blood used, for the same purpose on a similar occasion, 
was obtained by stabbinp; with a sharp stick the exposed mucous membrane of the 
patent subincised urethra, the flow being promoted by a manipulation similar to 
that used in milking. 
Spears, when about to be used on a marauding expedition, are decorated with 
transverse or spiral bands of blood, and, so also, certain of the ceremonial sticks, 
hereafter to be described, are on special occasions adorned with down made to 
adhere by blood. The statement that blood is drawn for the purpose of adminis¬ 
tering it to persons “ close up dead ” {in articulo mortis^ was made by several 
informants and is doubtless correct. Other instances of the use of human blood 
amongst the Arunta blacks will be found in Mr. Gillen’s paper. 
Mr. E. C. Kempe, manager of the Peake Station, informs me that a similar 
practice of blood-letting from the arm in connection with their ceremonials is 
carried on amongst the natives of the Arrabunna tribe which adjoins the Arunta to 
the south, and which occupies the country to the west of Lake Eyre. Here the 
subject is always a male, who may be either old or young, though rarely the former, 
or married or single. Gason, in his most excellent account of the Dieyerie tribe, who 
occupy country to the east of Lake Eyre, relates other instances of the same 
custom, so that in some form or another the practice of bleeding from the person 
has a very wide range in Central Australia. 
Ceremonials and Corrobborees. 
A very large element in the lives of the Australian natives tliroughout the 
wliole country are certain dancing festivals generally spoken of, collectively, by 
the whites as corrobborees. I am not aware of the origin of this term, which has 
been long in use, but, in all probability, it is a derivative from some native word 
in use by some tribes on the eastern coast, which were those earliest known to 
Europe<ans. In this connection, however, it is interesting to note that the Arunta 
word is “ Quaapara,” which might have very well answered for the origin of the 
European term, but that the word corrobboree was in use long before anything 
was known of the natives of Central Australia. 
So far as the Aruntas and Luritchas are concerned—and, I believe, the 
remark will be found applicable to a very large group of Central Australian 
natives, to most of the tribes indeed that have been mentioned in this paper—a 
broad distinction is to be drawn between ordinary corrobborees, on the one hand, 
which are merely dancing and singing festivals, arising out of exuberance of spirits. 
