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oke; so the tumour will also dry up and disappear。 If the patient should afterwards prove ungrateful to the good physician; the man of skill can avenge himself very easily by throwing the vervain into water; for as the root absorbs the moisture once more; the tumour will return。 The same sapient writer recommends you; if you are troubled with pimples; to watch for a falling star; and then instantly; while the star is still shooting from the sky; to wipe the pimples with a cloth or anything that comes to hand。 Just as the star falls from the sky; so the pimples will fall from your body; only you must be very careful not to wipe them with your bare hand; or the pimples will be transferred to it。
Further; homoeopathic and in general sympathetic magic plays a great part in the measures taken by the rude hunter or fisherman to secure an abundant supply of food。 On the principle that like produces like; many things are done by him and his friends in deliberate imitation of the result which he seeks to attain; and; on the other hand; many things are scrupulously avoided because they bear some more or less fanciful resemblance to others which would really be disastrous。
Nowhere is the theory of sympathetic magic more systematically carried into practice for the maintenance of the food supply than in the barren regions of Central Australia。 Here the tribes are divided into a number of totem clans; each of which is charged with the duty of multiplying their totem for the good of the community by means of magical ceremonies。 Most of the totems are edible animals and plants; and the general result supposed to be accomplished by these ceremonies is that of supplying the tribe with food and other necessaries。 Often the rites consist of an imitation of the effect which the people desire to produce; in other words; their magic is homoeopathic or imitative。 Thus among the Warramunga the headman of the white cockatoo totem seeks to multiply white cockatoos by holding an effigy of the bird and mimicking its harsh cry。 Among the Arunta the men of the witchetty grub totem perform ceremonies for multiplying the grub which the other members of the tribe use as food。 One of the ceremonies is a pantomime representing the fully…developed insect in the act of emerging from the chrysalis。 A long narrow structure of branches is set up to imitate the chrysalis case of the grub。 In this structure a number of men; who have the grub for their totem; sit and sing of the creature in its various stages。 Then they shuffle out of it in a squatting posture; and as they do so they sing of the insect emerging from the chrysalis。 This is supposed to multiply the numbers of the grubs。 Again; in order to multiply emus; which are an important article of food; the men of the emu totem paint on the ground the sacred design of their totem; especially the parts of the emu which they like best to eat; namely; the fat and the eggs。 Round this painting the men sit and sing。 Afterwards performers; wearing head…dresses to represent the long neck and small head of the emu; mimic the appearance of the bird as it stands aimlessly peering about in all directions。
The Indians of British Columbia live largely upon the fish which abound in their seas and rivers。 If the fish do not come in due season; and the Indians are hungry; a Nootka wizard will make an image of a swimming fish and put it into the water in the direction from which the fish generally appear。 This ceremony; accompanied by a prayer to the fish to come; will cause them to arrive at once。 The islanders of Torres Straits use models of dugong and turtles to charm dugong and turtle to their destruction。 The Toradjas of Central Celebes believe that things of the same sort attract each other by means of their indwelling spirits or vital ether。 Hence they hang up the jawbones of deer and wild pigs in their houses; in order that the spirits which animate these bones may draw the living creatures of the same kind into the path of the hunter。 In the island of Nias; when a wild pig has fallen into the pit prepared for it; the animal is taken out and its back is rubbed with nine fallen leaves; in the belief that this will make nine more wild pigs fall
into the pit; just as the nine leaves fell from the tree。 In the East Indian islands of Saparoea; Haroekoe; and Noessa Laut; when a fisherman is about to set a trap for fish in the sea; he looks out for a tree; of which the fruit has been much pecked at by birds。 From such a tree he cuts a stout branch and makes of it the principal post in his fish…trap; for he believes that; just as the tree lured many birds to its fruit; so the branch cut from that tree will lure many fish to the trap。
The western tribes of British New Guinea employ a charm to aid the hunter in spearing dugong or turtle。 A small beetle; which haunts coco…nut trees; is placed in the hole of the spear…haft into which the spear…head fits。 This is supposed to make the spear…head stick fast in the dugong or turtle; just as the beetle sticks fast to a man's skin when it bites him。 When a Cambodian hunter has set his nets and taken nothing; he strips himself naked; goes some way off; then strolls up to the net as if he did not see it; lets himself be caught in it; and cries; Hillo! what's this? I'm afraid I'm caught。 After that the net is sure to catch game。 A pantomime of the same sort has been acted within the living memory in our Scottish Highlands。 The Rev。 James Macdonald; now of Reay in Caithness; tells us that in his boyhood when he was fishing with companions about Loch Aline and they had had no bites for a long time; they used to make a pretence of throwing one of their fellows overboard and hauling him out of the water; as if he were a fish; after that the trout or silloch would begin to nibble; according as the boat was on fresh or salt water。 Before a Carrier Indian goes out to snare martens; he sleeps by himself for about ten nights beside the fire with a little stick pressed down on his neck。 This naturally causes the fall…stick of his trap to drop down on the neck of the marten。 Among the Galelareese; who inhabit a district in the northern part of Halmahera; a large island to the west of New Guinea; it is a maxim that when you are loading your gun to go out shooting; you should always put the bullet in your mouth before you insert it in the gun; for by so doing you practically eat the game that is to be hit by the bullet; which therefore cannot possibly miss the mark。 A Malay who has baited a trap for crocodiles; and is awaiting results; is careful in eating his curry always to begin by swallowing three lumps of rice successively; for this helps the bait to slide more easily down the crocodile's throat。 He is equally scrupulous not to take any bones out of his curry; for; if he did; it seems clear that the sharp…pointed stick on which the bait is skewered would similarly work itself loose; and the crocodile would get off with the bait。 Hence in these circumstances it is prudent for the hunter; before he begins his meal; to get somebody else to take the bones out of his curry; otherwise he may at any moment have to choose between swallowing a bone and losing the crocodile。
This last rule is an in