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Rh near Melbourne, a young man named Gib-ber-ook came behind her and cut off a lock of her hair; that she was sure he had buried it, and that it was rotting somewhere." "Her hair," she said, "was rotting somewhere, and her Marm-bu-la (kidney-fat) was wasting away, and when her hair had completely rotted, she would die." She stated further that her name had been lately cut on a tree by some wild black, and that that was another token of death.

Murran, which signifies a leaf, was the name of the young woman; and Mr. Thomas says that he ascertained afterwards that the figures of leaves had been carved on a gum-tree, as described by the girl. She died. The sorcerers said that the spirit of a wild blackfellow had cut the figures of leaves on the gum-tree.

The blacks believe that the spirits of the dead (Yambo kane) go about the earth and visit the camps of the blacks. Mr. Bulmer gives a somewhat amusing account of the way in which the spirits may be made useful. An old woman—a widow—got up one morning, and declared that her deceased husband had appeared to her in the night, and asked her when she was going to get married again. He told her that unless she got married to a certain man of the tribe whom he named he would visit her every night. She related her experiences at some length, but whether or not the sly old lady succeeded in obtaining the man she coveted is not recorded.

When an Aboriginal is alone and far distant from his encampments, he is liable to have his kidney-fat taken from him by the spirit of a wild black. The kidney-fat (Marm-bu-la) is taken away in some secret manner, and death is certain in the most of such cases, and scarcely to be avoided under the happiest circumstances.