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four inches long. The joint at the angle is strengthened with wild
bees’ wax.
A fishing line, made of vegetable fibre twine, is looped once
around the hook, and made secure by tying with another piece of
string, the union being covered with bees’ wax. The line is held either
in the hand or is attached to a long rod. The hook is baited with
grubs. It is by this means that the Barramundi is caught in large
numbers in most of the northern rivers.
 PLATE XVII

Female wood-carriers, Aluridja tribe.

“The women ... are required to collect sufficient to keep the fire going, during the
day for cooking purposes and during the night for warming and lighting
purposes.”
 A turtle hunt is conducted in King Sound after the following style:
The game is sighted, floating upon the surface of the sea, either from
the mainland or from a craft. Instantly a gesticulative appeal is made
to all to keep quiet. “Hai! Kurdemilla!” (Look out, a turtle!) “Sh! Sh!
Sh!” comes the voice of the person who has made the discovery,
and others repeat it in an undertone. Everybody who has noticed the
turtle bends his body to escape detection, and beckons to all others
to do likewise. A number of the men then creep to the water’s edge
and cautiously board a craft (i.e. if the observation was not made
from a craft), in which they carefully paddle towards the prey. As the
boat draws near, the keen eyes of the hunters endeavour to satisfy
their curiosity upon the point as to whether the object ahead is just
one turtle resting upon the surface in the warmth of a tropical sun, or
whether, indeed, there might be a pair, coupled in the water. The
female turtle is much preferred by the natives on account of the
possible nutritious contents of the ovaries, whose appearance is
much like that of a cluster of yellowish dates. When within
reasonable distance of the prey, two men glide inaudibly over the
side of the craft and disappear from view. Upon a signal, two or three
others jump into the water, apparently disregardless of splash and
noise, and swim towards the now startled game, which lifts its long
neck and looks in the direction of the disturbance. Having perceived
the imminent danger, the turtle at once endeavours to escape from
the peril by ducking under water. But, at the same moment, it finds
its head clasped by one of the men below to be thrust back above
the surface of the water. One of the swimmers has now reached the
turtle, whose shell he promptly seizes by the collar-like rim at the
back of the neck, and pulls it backwards at the same time as the
head is being thrust upwards from beneath the water. The turtle
works its paddles in a frantic endeavour to escape, but, being held in
the sloping position mentioned, the more its exerts itself, the more
persistently it remains upon the surface, because its paddles are
driving it there. If it be a large turtle, the man who is pulling from
behind lifts his body on to the shell, upon which he sits astride. His
weight tends to further ensure the inclined position of the turtle,
which involuntarily acts as his carrier. The prey is then speedily
dispatched by a blow over the head with a tomahawk or waddy.
There is no doubt the much-criticized De Rougemont must have
witnessed such a scene as here described, and embodied the
inspiration in his narration.
During the season that turtles come ashore, moonlight parties are
arranged which overtake the amphibians as they are clumsily
working their way over the sandy beach. The creatures are
overturned and either slain immediately or are left in their helpless
position over night to be killed in the morning.
Crocodiles (C. porosus et Johnstoni) and dugongs (Halicore
Australis) are located below the surface of water by watching for
bubbles of air, which might rise, or for any little swirls and
disturbances in the water due to the movements of the creatures
below. In the case of the dugong, also known as the sea-cow, its
presence might be betrayed by small nibbled pieces of sea-weed,
which come to the surface when it is feeding. Both crocodile and
dugong are speared or harpooned from the bow of a raft or canoe. A
native often ventures into a water-lily pool or billabong, known to
contain crocodile, prodding the mud with his spear, as he advances,
to feel for the horny skin of the hidden prey. When one has been
located, a large hunting party wade in a line through the water
splashing it vigorously and shouting loudly to drive the terrified
crocodile from the pool. Once it appears on dry ground, it is chased
and pelted with heavy spears. Natives do not appear to be the least
concerned about their safety when they wade into water containing
crocodiles; in fact, there are few cases known of natives having been
attacked by the reptiles, although occasionally one finds an
individual partially incapacitated or scarred in consequence of an
encounter with a crocodile. The scaly monsters seem loth to attack a
coloured man, but for a white man to take the risk a native does
would mean courting certain death.
Young crocodiles are caught by hand from the bow of a canoe
whilst cautiously drifting upon them as they are floating upon or near
the surface of the water. The natives explain that the teeth of the
young reptiles have not hardened sufficiently to do any harm.
 Along the north coast, and on the adjacent islands, a regular
watch is kept for the dugong. This peculiar marine mammal lives in
the deep sea, but comes near to the shore to feed. It might often be
observed, especially at high tide, in small, calm bays and inlets,
frolicking at the surface. Full-grown animals attain a length of twelve
feet or more, and weigh up to 1,500 pounds; they are entirely
vegetarian, browsing for the most part on salt-water algae. At
intervals it is necessary for the animal to rise to the surface to
breathe. The drawing in of the air can be heard a great distance off,
and is generally, though erroneously, referred to as the “blowing.”
The man on the look-out watches for the dugong to show itself upon
the surface, and his keen eye can usually detect it, even upon a
slightly rippled water, at some considerable distance out. The most
favourable times are at dusk and on moonlight nights.
When the signal has been given that a dugong is in sight, the
hunters set out in a canoe and cautiously paddle towards the place
at which it was last seen. It may be that long before the crew reach
the particular spot indicated the animal has moved away, but the
trained eye of the observer, who now stands at the bow of the canoe,
is able to follow the movements of the dugong, even though it be
some depth below the surface. At night the prey is observed on the
reflected beam of the moon. When the game comes up again to take
breath, it may be the canoe is still too far off for action, but the
strictest caution is observed not in any way to cause a disturbance.
All men in the boat remain rigid, and the paddles are held stationary;
the man at the bow, holding his harpoon, poised in readiness above
his head, stands like a statue. The moment the dugong goes below
again, he indicates to the oarsmen with his hand how to steer. Thus
the unsuspecting game is followed around from station to station
until it comes to the surface within throwing distance. When this
occurs, and it may be before the animal actually reaches the surface,
the man in front sends the harpoon forward like lightning, with almost
infallible precision, to penetrate the body of the rising dugong and
firmly embed itself in it. The terrified animal plunges forward with a
tremendous splash, tearing the line attached to the harpoon along
with it to its full length. The canoe is pulled along with some velocity
through the water, but the wounded animal soon weakens through
loss of blood and the want of air. It is compelled to rise to the surface
to fill its lungs, but no sooner does it come near than another missile
flies from the hand of the hunter to also stick in the back of the
exasperated animal. Again it shoots away, with a renewed effort to
escape from the cruel harpoon, but in vain. Before long the want of
air again necessitates a return to the surface, only to be met with a
similar treatment as before. By this time the unfortunate dugong is so
much weakened that it cannot travel far without coming to the
surface frequently; and every time it does another spear is planted
into its body. Before long it caves in; a final swish with its powerful
tail, a quiver throughout the body, and its helpless carcase is in the
hands of the elated hunters. The victorious shouting or singing of the
men in the canoe is echoed by those watching the hunt on shore, the
latter, moreover, in their excitement usually starting a wild sort of
dance on the sand. A noose is placed round the dugong’s tail, by
which it is towed towards the land. If any resistance is proffered, the
rope is gathered in, and the creature drowned by keeping its head
under water, or one of the hunters suffocates it by thrusting two of
his fingers into its nostrils. This accomplished, the jaws are tied
together to prevent the carcase from water-logging and sinking.
Often the hunters submerge their canoe, and, by swimming
alongside, pull it under the floating carcase. The water is then bailed
out of the craft and in this way the dugong is lifted. The hunters then
row their prize ashore and drag it on to the beach, where it is
quartered and cooked. Practically the whole of it is eaten.
The rich flesh of the dugong is relished by all northern coastal
tribes from the east of Queensland to the west of Western Australia
as far south as the 24th degree of latitude.
The hunters recognize an “old man” dugong by its tusks; and they
assert that often a female is seen carrying its young upon a fin,
suckling it. According to aboriginal information, a young dugong
might also be observed riding on the back of its mother. A pregnant
dugong is considered to make the richest dish of all.
Occasionally a dugong or a big fish, like a whale, is stranded
during a gale, and this is indeed a red-letter day for the fortunate
tribe upon whose territory the find was made.
Birds of every description are hunted with stone, stick, or spear. It
is astounding how adroitly an aboriginal can project the light reed
spears; to fell a dove at a distance of from forty to fifty paces is
child’s play for an experienced thrower.
There are, however, a number of species which are hunted in a
peculiar way; and these will now be described.
In the northern coastal districts, where hawks are very plentiful,
the natives build small stone covers resembling a surveyor’s cairn. A
hunter conceals himself in one of these and holds a dove or other
small bird, which he has speared or captured, in his hand above a
small loop-hole left at the top of the structure. He moves it about to
attract the attention of the birds of prey soaring on high. Presently
one of the hawks swoops down upon the dove and grabs it with its
claws. But at the same moment, the hunter drops the dove and with
lightning quickness seizes the legs of the hawk and pulls the bird
under, to quickly kill it. This method is largely practised in the Victoria
River district, there being an abundance of stones available for the
construction of the covers. The occurrence of many cairns of the
type here described has hitherto puzzled travellers who observed
them.
The northern desert tribes of Western Australia adopt a similar
principle, but in place of the stones they use the tussocks of
porcupine grass to cover themselves. In order to attract the hawks
they are hunting, they set fire to one or two plants of porcupine grass
growing close by.
In the same district, and more especially on the Daly and other
rivers in the Northern Territory, wild geese are captured much after
the same principle. Large flocks of these semi-palmated geese
(Anseranus melanoleuca) are in the habit of visiting one and the
same place year after year. The natives know these places well, and
during the absence of the geese make an excavation in the ground,
which they cover with twigs, pieces of paper-bark, grass, and soil,
leaving only one or two look-out holes. When the birds have
returned, a couple of natives sit in the excavation and watch for the
geese to draw near. As soon as a head or a leg of a goose comes
near to an observation hole, one of the natives seizes the bird, draws
it below, and wrings its neck. In this way many birds may be bagged
without disturbing the flock.
On other occasions the natives climb trees, in which they build
platforms to seat themselves upon and await the arrival of geese at
dusk. The birds come in such large numbers that dozens are caught
at a time; they are simply seized by hand and killed on the spot. By
cleverly imitating the call of the birds: “nga ngang, ngang-ngang-
ngang,” the hunters entice as many birds as they like to the platform.
But even at daytime, a native often hides in a tussock of grass and
imitates the cry of the bird, which, when it unsuspectingly draws
near, is either grasped with the hand or hit on the head with a stick.
At times the hunter plucks a large water-lily leaf, into which he cuts
two holes for his eyes to look through. Holding this leaf over his face,
he swims out to some geese he has observed on a lagoon, and,
when within grasping length of the prey, he simply pulls a bird under
by its legs and strangles it.
The note of the whistling duck (Dendrocygna eytoni) is also
accurately reproduced, by which flocks of them are attracted and
killed with a throwing stick while hovering around the spot which
conceals the native. Cockatoos, plovers, and many other birds are
secured in a similar manner.
The flesh of an emu is valued, if for no other reason than for the
size of the carcase and the large amount of grease which lies
beneath the skin. The northern tribes of Western Australia have
discovered a simple means of capturing the big struthious bird in that
they poison a water known to be frequented by the game. When the
bird has quenched its thirst, it is stupefied to such a degree that it is
an easy matter for the natives, lying in ambush, to overtake it and
crack it on the head. The poison used is supplied by the leaf of
Tephrosia purpurea, which the natives call “moru”; the active
principle is a saponine. In central Australia the pitjuri leaf is largely
used for the same purpose.
 The natives also take advantage of the inquisitive nature of the
bird by enticing it into a cul-de-sac or other trap by waving a
conspicuous object, as for instance a corrobboree plume, from
behind a boulder or bush. When the bird is near enough, it is either
rushed with waddies or speared by a number of chosen, astute men.
The Larrekiya and Wogait tribes conceal themselves in the
branches of a tree, the seeds of which are known to attract the emu.
The hunters ascend the tree in the early hours of the morning and
remain there perfectly quiet until the prey arrives. At an opportune
moment, the bird is speared with a specially heavy spear known as
“nimmerima.”
The south-eastern tribes used to select one or more men, who
would be “dressed up” as emu after the style of the Kukata men
playing emu described on page 81. In the case of the hunters,
however, a real emu skin is usually employed, with the head
attached and held erect by means of a stick, which passes through
the neck. Very cleverly imitating the strut of the emu, the men
carefully approach their prey, drawing their spears, which they firmly
hold between two toes, along with them through the grass. Carefully
and very slowly encircling the birds, the hunters gradually work
towards the birds, when presently one or two of them are espied.
The moment this happens, the curious emu rush towards the
strangers ruffling their feathers and emitting peculiar guttural sounds.
Now the critical moment has arrived because the hunters know that,
when their faked plumage is recognized, the birds will decamp. They
stand and lift their spears with their feet. The birds are now in all
probability within throwing distance and very likely on the point of
turning. That is the time selected for throwing the missile. Having
previously selected their mark, the hunters, with a mighty flourish, let
the weapons fly through the air with almost infallible accuracy. Then
sounds the triumphant whoop; the men, discarding their disguise,
rush towards the wounded victim and promptly put an end to it. In
place of assuming the guise of an emu, the south-eastern tribes,
when in grass-tree (Xanthorrhœa) country, cut the crown from a
spreading tree and carry this as a cover.
 The real chase, that is the hunting of larger animals, reptiles, and
birds, is strictly the business of the men, although the children and
women often employ themselves at digging out lizards, snakes, and
the smaller marsupials.
Opossums are driven from their hiding places in the hollows of
trees by smoking them out. A fire is lit at the bottom of a tree which is
known to be hollow, to burn through the enclosing wall at one side.
Then green twigs are thrown upon the flame to make as much
smoke as possible, which works its way upwards through all the
hollows and emerges wherever there is an opening. The half-stifled
animals make for the openings and usually drop to the ground; if not
they are brought to fall by spear or throwing stick. Often the greater
half of the butt is thus burned through and the tree crashes to earth.
In this case a diligent search of all the hollows and nooks is made in
order that all things to eat, quite apart from the opossums, may be
bagged.
 PLATE XVIII

Two handfuls of witchedy grubs.

“The most popular and at the same time most widely distributed article of diet in
the insect line is the larva of the big Cossus moth, commonly known as the
witchedy grub.”

Often, too, notches are cut into the butt of the tree in step-like
manner to allow the hunters to ascend for the purpose of chopping
out their prey from the hollows. Whilst some are thus busying
themselves aloft, others are waiting below in readiness to secure any
which might attempt to escape.
Most of the burrowing marsupials, as well as the dingo and the
imported rabbit, are dug out of the ground. The largest among these
is the wombat, which is nocturnal in habit. The native knows,
moreover, that when the weather is excessively hot, the animal often
comes to the surface and sleeps in front of its burrow. He therefore
stealthily surveys the recognized haunts of the wombat at such
times, and, should he be successful in locating one, he spears it on
the spot.
North of the Great Australian Bight the small wallaby is captured
as follows: The hunter ties a bundle of feathers to the top of a long
pole, up to twenty feet in length, and this he whirls around his head,
high in the air, as he walks across the tussocky plains known to
harbour the game they call “wilpa.” The wallabies, apparently taking
the whizzing feathers to be an eagle hawk, squat in fear, and, for the
moment, do not attempt to escape from the native. Before the animal
recognizes the fraud, the treacherous spear of the hunter has pinned
it to earth.
The larger species of these marsupials are hunted differently; they
are mostly stalked and killed with the spear. It seems almost
incredible that a native can approach a grazing kangaroo on a more
or less open plain to within spear-throwing distance without being
detected; but such is actually the case. He has so perfected his
stealthiness that he utilizes every momentary opportunity, at which
the animal’s attention is directed away from him; and slowly he
approaches step by step. His swarthy colour in itself gives him a
natural protection; but more, he has learned the value of artificially
colouring himself with the earth or mud of the terrain he is about to
scout. Thus upon a “blue mud flat” his body is painted a slaty blue,
whilst on a lateritic soil he applies red ochre or clay. His work is
considerably simplified when the ground contains such features as
ant-hills or dark-coloured boulders, which he can simulate. A native,
when stalking a kangaroo in this way, will always have his spear
poised in readiness to be thrown instantaneously if need be. Vide
Plate XX.
In central as well as northern Australia, hunting parties are
arranged as follows: Several men hide themselves at different points
of a known pad, along which kangaroo are in the habit of travelling to
water or cover. A large party of “beaters,” consisting of men, women,
and children, disperse in the direction of where kangaroos have
been reported to be feeding. On drawing near to the animals, all
members of the beating party begin to sing and shout. In the
Larrekiya tongue this sounds like “Ye-we o-ho, ye-we o-ho”; in the
Arunndta more like “Yerrewai, yerrewai.” They scamper through the
bush until a kangaroo is actually sighted, when it is pursued amidst
the cries of “Yackäu, yackäu” in the former, and “Yackai” in the latter
tongue. The frightened animal usually makes straight for the beaten
pad, along which it tears at a terrific rate. Upon hearing the cry of the
battue, the men in hiding along the pad place themselves in
readiness; and when the animal leaps by, the nearest hunter quickly
rises and discharges his spear. If he is successful in felling the
animal, he raises a loud, triumphant shout of “Käu,” as a signal to the
driving party, who as quickly as possible assemble at the spot.
Should the spear of the first thrower miss the kangaroo, the chances
are that the next man, further along the pad, will have a chance of
trying his skill.
A native considers one of the big hind legs to be the most effective
part to wound a kangaroo in, especially if the leg can be broken. If
the animal is hit in any other part of its body, it will in all probability
make off and that will necessitate perhaps a whole day’s tracking,
before it can be overtaken and killed. If only lightly wounded, the
hunters will experience considerable difficulty in bringing the game to
bay; and the shrewdest strategy might be needed to outwit the
watchful animal. In the latter case the pursuers often split their
company, and, whilst some are attracting the kangaroo’s attention in
the distance, the others endeavour to crawl towards it under cover,
until they are near enough to impart the death blow.
Whilst pursuing a wounded animal, a native simply flies over the
ground. He cares for no obstacles and seems instinctively to
presage the stability of doubtfully inclined and pivotted rocks, lying
upon hilly slopes or partially concealed among tall grass. Thus he,
with great confidence, jumps from point to point, with the agility of an
antelope, and makes rapid headway, whereas a white man would
hesitate and come to grief.
In the Musgrave, Mann, and Tomkinson Ranges in central
Australia, long brushwood fences are constructed of a more or less
zig-zag shape, the angles of which lie upon beaten pads, which are
known to be used by kangaroos and wallabies living in the particular
area. At each “angle,” the natives dig a large, deep hole, the mouth
of which they cover with thin sticks, pieces of bark, and subsequently
the whole with sand and grass to give the trap as natural an
appearance as possible. So much completed, a log of timber is
placed across the pad, at that side of the hole, from which the fleeing
game is expected to come. The idea of the log is to make the animal
jump over it and land upon the flimsy cover of the hole on the other
side. Quite frequently an aboriginal places himself in hiding behind
the fence at one of the “angles” and spears the game as it emerges;
in this case the hole is dispensed with.
A kangaroo-hunting expedition often takes a tribe far away from a
main camp, and the party may be absent for two or three weeks at a
time. A native knows that kangaroo follow the new grass, which
appears upon patches recently visited by a thunder-cloud or, as is
the case upon the north coast, by a bush fire. When either of such
phenomena has been chronicled, and after a short time has lapsed,
a party of experienced men leave the main camp and prospect the
ground for game. When they return, they report the results of their
mission to the old men, and, if favourable, arrangements are
immediately made for the expedition. The best time for the hunt is
considered to be the later afternoon; in the morning and during the
heat of the day, the animals are resting, and the hunter knows that
under those conditions his chances are not nearly so good as
towards evening, when they leave their haunts to feed.
When in 1828 the military settlement at Fort Dundas disbanded,
Sir Gordon Bremer let a number of Timor buffaloes, which had been
used by the residents, roam at large. Since that time, the animals
multiplied to such an extent that large herds were found by later
settlers both on Melville Island and the mainland opposite.
Thousands have been shot by European hunters, principally for their
hides. The natives, too, have learned to recognize these beasts as
an important asset to the objects of their chase, although, it must be
admitted, the flesh is not relished to anything like the extent of that of
the indigenous game; often, in fact, a buffalo is slain merely for a
slice or two of the flesh, usually the tongue. The cattle of the
European, on the other hand, is eaten with distinct pleasure. Buffalo
are hunted by stalking with the spear. This is not a task which
demands much skill or laborious strategy. The buffalo spends most
of its time out on the plains, more or less under cover of the tall, rank
grass, which grows up after the “wet season.” In consequence of
this, it is a simple matter for the native to avail himself of the same
cover when approaching his prey. In nearly every case, the wounded
animal makes off, and the excited hunting gang follow it until it
collapses through loss of blood. It might even be necessary to throw
another spear or two during the chase to finally bring the beast to
fall. The jubilation which takes place during the final stage of a
buffalo-hunt is depicted in the Frontispiece of this book, an actual
scene from life witnessed on Melville Island.
 PLATE XIX

1. Aluridja tree-climber.

“The climber, as he ascends, cuts fresh notches into the bark with his
tomahawk....”

2. Wordaman tree-climber.

“... the hunter is virtually hanging by his arms, which are hooked by the hands, and
is sitting upon his heels.”

All along the north coast, a welcome addition to the daily fare is
wild bees’ honey, or as it is now generally called by the semi-civilized
tribes “sugar-bag.” The wild bee establishes its hive either in a
hollow tree or in a crevice in the ground, and the hunting native—
man, woman, or child—is ever on the look-out for it. When the exit of
a hive has been discovered in the ground, from which numerous
bees are flying, the lucky finder immediately begins to carefully dig
down along the narrow channel until he reaches the honeycomb. If
the supply is limited, it is usually removed in toto by hand and lifted
to his mouth without further ado. If, on the other hand, there is a
goodly amount available, the whole of the comb is collected and
placed in a cooleman or other food-carrier and taken to camp.
When a hive is located in a hollow tree, the native places his ear
against the butt and listens; by frequently altering the position of his
ear like one undertaking a medical auscultation, he can gauge the
exact position of the hive by the murmur and buzz beneath the bark.
It is then a simple matter for him to cut into the cover and collect the
honeycomb. Some of the experienced hunters can “smell” their way
for a considerable distance to a wild-bee hive.
The Victoria River tribes have invented an ingenious device, by
means of which they can secure honey from otherwise inaccessible
fissures in rocks or hollows in stout-butted trees. A long stick is
selected, to one end of which is tied a bundle of vegetable fibre or
pounded bark. With the bundle forward, the stick is poked into the
cleft leading to the hive, and, when the honey-comb is reached, it is
turned around and allowed to absorb some of the honey. Then the
stick is quickly removed and the absorbed honey squeezed from the
fibres into a receptacle. The process is repeated, time after time,
until the greater part of the honey has been obtained.
Wild bee honey is very liquid, but, nevertheless, quite as sweet
and tasty as that of the Ligurian bee. The wild bee, moreover,
possesses no sting, and so offers no serious resistance to the
enthusiasm of the collector. The bee itself is comparatively small,
about the size of an ordinary house fly.
There are no wild bees in central Australia, but in their stead
appears the honey ant (Melophorus inflatus). These remarkable
insects live underground, usually in the red sandy loams carrying
forests of mulga. Throughout the MacDonnell Ranges, and the
country north and south-west of them, and in the Musgrave Ranges
district, they are eagerly looked for by the local tribes. When the
entrance to a nest has been discovered, a gin at once sets to by
inserting a thin stick as a guide and digging down the course of the
hole. This is a somewhat tedious undertaking, and not infrequently
she has to dig to so great a depth as to completely bury herself. On
several occasions I have unexpectedly come across a woman thus
engaged, and neither was she aware of my coming, nor I of her
presence, until right opposite her. The “honey-ant” itself is a modified
worker of the colony, which is so overfed by the ordinary workers
that its abdomen swells to the size of a marble, about three-eighths
of an inch in diameter, in consequence of the liquid honey stored
within. With the exception of the few transverse plates, the
abdominal walls are reduced to an extremely fine membrane,
through which the honey can be clearly seen from outside. The
insect’s viscera are compressed into a small space near the vent.
The ant, in this condition, is naturally unable to move from the spot. It
appears that the inflated ants in this phenomenal way provide for the
needs of the colony during the barren season of the year, acting in
the capacity of living tanks or barrels, which can be tapped as
required.
The gin collects numbers of these ants, as she burrows her way
downwards, and lays them in her cooleman; when the nest has been
ransacked she returns with her prize to camp.
When a native wishes to partake of the honey, he grips one of the
ants by the head, and, placing the swollen abdomen between his
lips, he squeezes the contents into his mouth and swallows them.
In regard to the taste, the first sensation the palate receives is a
distinct prick of formic acid, which is no doubt due to a secretion
produced by the ant in self-defence. But this is both slight and
momentary; and the instant the membrane bursts, it is followed by a
delicious and rich flavour of pure honey.
The Aluridja and Wongapitcha call this wonderful ant
“winudtharra,” whilst to the Arunndta it is known as “yerumba.”
In many parts of central Australia the leaves of the red gums
(Eucalyptus rostrata), growing along the river-beds, are covered with
lerp manna—white, conical structures, about the size of a small
lentil, which are secreted by the larvæ of an insect known as Psylla.
On account of their sweetish taste, large quantities of the cones are
collected and eaten. The Arunndta refer to manna as “prelja.”
 CHAPTER XV
VEGETABLE DIET

Women collect vegetable products—“Yelka”—“Munyeroo”—“Nardoo”—Water lily

tubers—Native truffle—The “Kaula” or Native Pear—Gall-nuts of the mulga
and bloodwood.

Whatever contributes towards the vegetable diet of a tribe is

procured essentially by the women. Daily excursions are made by
the women, young and old, collectively or in small groups, to lay in a
stock for the family meal, which is prepared when the sire returns to
camp. The articles which are collected are almost unlimited in
variety, the time of the year usually determining which kind in
particular is made the object of the day’s outing.
The children accompany their mother, and although they help in
the general collecting, as decided by the mother, they find many little
“luxuries,” like the seeds of the mistletoe and the nectar contained in
the calyx of a flower, which they partake of as opportunity affords.
Throughout the central and west-central regions, one of the
commonest vegetables, which is eaten in very large quantities, both
raw and roasted, is the tunicated corm of the Cyperus rotundus,
which grows in the sandy banks of practically all the river-courses in
the area mentioned. These little bulbs grow not very deep below the
surface, and, being covered by a comparatively loose sand or sandy
loam, are easily obtained. The gins use “wanna” or yam-sticks which
they mostly hold in the fist of one hand and apply the chisel-point to
the ground like a pick, whilst the other hand scoops or scratches the
sand out of the hole. As the bulbs come up, they are placed into the
bark carrier (Plate XXI). The best time to dig for the bulbs is when
the grass-like blades of the plant have dried off. When a tribe has
been camped for a while near a favourable collecting ground, many
acres of soil are turned over, giving one quite the impression of a
cultivated field. The Arunndta call this bulb “yelka” or “irriakutta,” the
Aluridja “dunnmördta.” The bulb is about the size of a field-pea. To
eat it, all that is required to be done is to rub it between the palms of
the two hands and then blow away the light shell, which peels off
during the process. The natives usually take up five or six at a time
and treat them thus, when they are to be eaten raw; children are
especially fond of them raw. The bulbs have a sweetish, nutty
flavour.
When “yelka” is to be roasted, the bulbs are laid for a short time on
hot ashes, then taken up, rubbed between the hands, as described
above, and eaten.
Of equal importance in this region is a little, fleshy-leaved plant,
resembling a portulaca, which is known generally as “munyeroo,”
and bears the botanic name of Claytonia. It springs up all over the
sandhills of central Australia after a good rainfall. When on the
march, the natives eat the leaves of this plant raw, both as
nourishment and as a thirst-quencher; at times they are thrown on to
hot ashes, and, after baking for a short time only, eaten hot. But by
far the most important product of the munyeroo is its seed, which
occurs as tiny jet-black grains enclosed within a capsule. Though to
us it would seem most tedious work, it does not take the gins so very
long to collect large quantities of the seed in their bark carriers or
coolemans. Seen in bulk like this, the seed reminds one forcibly of
gunpowder. With sufficient collected for a meal, they return to camp
and clean the seed by “pouring” it from one carrier to another in the
wind, when the dry shells will be blown away. If there is no wind
available, the gin takes up a handful of the seed, and holding it over
a cooleman, blows the husks away with her mouth. When tolerably
clean, the seed is placed, little by little, upon a flat grinding stone and
reduced to a mealy consistency with a pebble, which is worked by
hand. Every now and again, a little water may be added to the mass,
which, after a while, is scraped into a cooleman with the side of the
hand. The paste may be eaten raw, but more frequently it is mixed
with more meal to make a dough, and then baked in hot ashes. The
Arunndta call this seed “ingwitega,” the Aluridja “waketo.”
On the eastern side of the great central region, especially along
the Cooper Creek, the small plant commonly known as “nardoo” is
economically the most important to the local tribes. Nardoo grows
only on clayey flats, on which water has been stagnant for a while. It
is not altogether unlike a small-leaved shamrock; and its scientific
name is Marsilea quadrifolia. Forming a ring around the stem, just
above the surface of the ground, each plant develops a bunch of
spore cases, which, when matured, are gathered in great numbers
by the tribes. Those of the readers who are familiar with the history
of Australian exploration will recollect that the members of the ill-
fated Burke and Wills expedition were for an appreciable time
sustained by nardoo cakes, which were given them by the
Yantowannta tribe on the Cooper Creek. The spore cases are
flattish-oblong in shape, about the size of a small lentil, and
extremely hard. The natives collect, grind, and prepare nardoo in
precisely the same way as the other tribes mentioned treat the
munyeroo. On account of the extensive use which is made of the
stone hand-mill, in the Cooper Creek district, consisting of a large flat
slab of stone, upon which a pebble is worked to and fro, the
implement has earned for itself the name of nardoo-stone. The
Arunndta refer to nardoo as “parapara,” the Dieri as “kalumba.”
By the same process the seed of many acacias, which is collected
in considerable quantities, is made into cakes. A peculiar ingredient
is added to the flour by the Victoria Desert tribes in the form of white
ants, which they knead into the dough and bake with it.
On the north coast, from King Sound east to the Gulf of
Carpentaria, quite a variety of grass seeds, also those of the lotus
lily, are ground and baked.
One of the regular articles of vegetable diet in the tropics is the
tuber of the water-lily, which is gathered by the score and roasted in
ashes; it tastes almost like a potato, with perhaps a distinctive
flavour about it resembling that of the Jerusalem artichoke. In the
Northern Kimberleys, the species most frequently eaten is the
beautiful Nymphaea stellata, which is variously known as “kapa,”
“kadje,” or “toki.” But perhaps the most popular dish in the tuber line
in the Northern Territories is the yam. A great variety of these is
available, but it often requires the genius of an aboriginal to locate
them, especially when there are no leaves showing on the surface. It