the mud with which she
had plastered the girl's limbs when first they went away to camp, and
which she had renewed from time to time. When this was all off she
painted the girl in different designs with red ochre and white gypsum,
principally in spots. She put on her head a gnooloogail, or forehead
band, made of Kurrajong fibre, plaited and tied with some Kurrajong
string, from over the cars to the back of the head; in this band, which
she had painted white, she stuck sprays of white flowers. Sweetly
scented Budtha and clustering Birah were the flowers most used for this
ceremony. Should neither of these be in bloom, then sprays of Collarene
or Coolibah blossom were used. When the flowers were placed in the band
the old woman scattered a handful of white swansdown over the girl's
head. Next she tied round her a girdle of opossum's sinews with strands
of woven opossum's hair hanging about a foot square in front. Round her
arms she bound goomils--opossum hair armlets--into which she placed
more sprays of flowers, matching those in the girl's hair.

To show that the occasion was a sacred one a sprig of Dheal tree was
placed through the hole in the septum of the nose. The toilet of a
wirreebeeun was now complete.

The old woman gave her a bunch of smoking Budtha leaves to carry, and
told her what to do. Note here the origin of bridal bouquets.

Having received her instructions, the girl, holding the smoking twigs,
went towards the big camp.

When the women there saw her coming they began to sing a song in, to
her, a strange language.

On a log, with his back towards her--for he must not yet look on her
face--sat the man to whom she was betrothed. The girl went up to him.
As the women chanted louder she threw the smoking Budtha twigs away,
placed a hand on each of his shoulders and shook him. Then she turned
and ran back to her new camp, the women singing and pelting her with
dry twigs and small sticks as she went. For another moon she stayed
with her granny in this camp, then the women made her another one
nearer.

In a few weeks they made her one on the outskirts of the main camp.
Here she stayed until they made her another in the camp, but a little
apart. In front of the opening of this dardurr they made a fire. That
night her betrothed camped on one side of this fire and she on the
other. For a moon they camped so. Then the old granny told the girl she
must camp on the same side of the fire as her betrothed, and