the opening up of this
past life, giving them the power and perquisites of seers."

1893. Mr. Purcell, `Lecture before Geographical Society,
Sydney,' Jan.:

"Mr. Purcell had travelled over nearly the whole of Queensland,
and had only seen the plant growing in a very limited area west
of the Mullyan River, 138th meridian of east long., and on the
ranges between the 23rd and 24th parallel of south latitude.
He had often questioned the Darling blacks about it, and they
always replied by pointing towards the north west. The blacks
never, if they could possibly help it, allowed white men to see
the plant. He himself had not been allowed to see it until he
had been initiated into some of the peculiar rites of the
aborigines. Mr. Purcell showed what he called the pitchery
letter, which consisted of a piece of wood covered with
cabalistic marks. This letter was given to a pitchery
ambassador, and was to signify that he was going to the
pitchery country, and must bring back the amount of pitchery
indicated on the stick. The talisman was a sure passport, and
wherever he went no man molested the bearer. This pitchery was
by no means plentiful. It grew in small clumps on the top of
sandy ridges, and would not grow on the richer soil beneath.
This convinced him that it never grew in any other country than
Australia. The plant was cooked by being placed in an
excavation in which a fire had been burning. It then became
light and ready for transport. As to its use in the form of
snuff, it was an excellent remedy for headaches, and chewed it
stopped all craving for food. It had been used with success in
violent cases of neuralgia, and in asthma also it had proved
very successful. With regard to its sustaining properties,
Mr. Purcell mentioned the case of a blackboy who had travelled
120 miles in two days, with no other sustenance than a chew of
pitchery."

<hw>Pivot City, The</hw>, a nickname for Geelong.

1860. W. Kelly, `Life in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 160
[Footnote]:

"The Pivot City is a sobriquet invented by the citizens to
symbolize it as the point on which the fortunes of the colony
would culminate and revolve. They also invented several other
original terms--a phraseology christened by the Melbourne press
as the Geelongese dialect."

<hw>Piwakawaka</hw>, <i>n</i>. Maori name for the <i>Pied
Fantail</i> (<i>Rhipidura flabellifera</i>, Gray).

1835. W. Yate, `Account of New Zealand,' p. 57:

"Piwakaw