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At the commencement of each Record Annotation will be found my copy of Spencer's box number, title and comments. Some were not easily deciphered and I may have misinterpreted these. 'Col. (Aust.) PRX 9-11 (12 inch standard). 1°R ECORDINGS OF AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL SINGING The language they used can't well be translated but it sounds splendid. After that we did the same with two men, but it is not quite so good. Then the women sang eorroboree songs. .. March 30 The natives have not come in yet and all we can do is wait patiently for them. I have the cinematograph ready to work when they do come. They are going to give us some rain dances during which they will wear great big head dresses and look very grotesque. March 31. .. Last night we got some more phonograph records-one or two especially good rain songs in which two men imitated at intervals the cry of the curlew which came with the rain. April I The natives are gradually coming in. .. they have promised to give us a eorroboree tomorrow so that I shall have the chance of using the cinematograph for the first time. April 2 The natives came in bringing some special sticks like huge bull-roarers from a place about 25 miles oft. They are now decorating them witli designs in red ochre and charcoal and white clay in a quiet spot down by the water-hole so that the women cannot see them. They are going to perform tomorrow. April 8 ... in the evening we had the natives up for a last go at the phonograph. We only had material for three songs and when we had taken these and let the men hear them we packed the machines and records up ready to gobaek to Adelaide by a team starting down in the morning. Spencer makes further reference to the 1901 records: (1928 Vol. 1:361): unlike Mountford's samples Spencer's have no ascending prefix. ¥0. 16 is a damaged cylinder. Despite surface noise percussion (stamps?) is audible. No. 17 was not among the box-titles.

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