_ marriage of the Yandairunga in _Journ.
Anthr. Inst._ XX, 60, but drops it in _Native Tribes_. It is unfortunate
that we never learn why Dr Howitt omits to mention facts which he has
previously published. Are we to infer that the previous statements are
erroneous in every case? If so, _pirrauru_ must be a temporary
relationship.

[168] Curr, III.

[169] _Journ. Anthr. Inst._ XX, 61, n. 2.

[170] Dr Howitt's argument from the use of _maian_ raises a difficulty.
Twenty-five years ago he stated (Brough Smyth, II, 323) that among the
Brabrolung a wife was termed _wr[=u]k[)u]t_, and this seems to be the
ordinary term.

[171] Titular _maian_ is Dr Howitt's phrase.

[172] Dr Howitt's statement on p. 281 that the widow invariably passes
to the brother is contradicted by passages on pp. 227 and 248.

[173] Dr Howitt (p. 176) does not admit this to be correct, but cf. his
attitude on p. 188.

[174] But cf. _Journ. Anthr. Inst._ XX, 58 n.; this may, however, have
been regarded as a ceremonial occasion, though there is no other
evidence of such being the case.

[175] Properly speaking group marriage should mean that all persons in a
local group live in polygamy, a state not far removed indeed from
promiscuity, the boundary between which and polygamy I cannot undertake
to discuss here, or else that the whole of one group is united in
marriage to those of the opposite sex in another group.

[176] This is uncertain, as I have already intimated.

[177] This tells strongly in favour of my theory. The unmarried youth
gets his _pirrauru_ free, for he will reciprocate the attention later.
The man who has lost his wife and can make no return purchases the
right.

[178] Cf. Curr, III, 546.

[179] Cf. _Journ. Anthr. Inst._ XX, 73.

[180] _Journ. Anthr. Inst._ XX, 56.

CHAPTER XIV.

TEMPORARY UNIONS.

Wife lending. Initiation ceremonies. _Jus primae noctis._ Punishment for
adultery. _Ariltha_ of central tribes. Group marriage unproven.

It has been mentioned above that the _pirrauru_ custom, so far from
being an extension of the recognised practice of Australian tribes, is
in some respects a limitation of it. We may now proceed to illustrate
this. Even among the Dieri the tribal festival on the occasion of an
inter-tribal marriage is marked by free intercourse between the sexes
without regard to existing sexual unions[181] (? either _tippa-malku_ or
_pirrauru_). In the same way the Wiimbaio tribal