In an article published in this journal^[2] I described the Mŭltyerra ceremony. In it I gave precise details of the procedure whereby a tooth is extracted by the natives. This custom prevails in the greater part of Australia without, however, being universal. Sometimes it is the right upper incisor which is extracted, sometimes the left one, and in other cases both middle incisors are removed. Then there are areas where the women, too, are operated upon, while elsewhere the custom is restricted to men. In the eastern part of the continent the operation was usually connected with initiation ceremonies, which was not necessarily the case in the central and western regions, even though the operation is usually accompanied by some ritual.

The most southern part of the Australian mainland where incisors were extracted was the central and northern parts of the state of Victoria. I dealt with this extensively in my report on ‘The Wonggumuk Ceremony of Initiation’.^[3] In New South Wales we find the custom in various places, in the interior and along the coast; examples are contained in my description of ‘The Bŭnǎn Ceremony of New South Wales’.^[4]

In 1900 I mentioned the extraction of an incisor in my description of the Toara or Dora ceremony, which can be encountered along the Mary, Dawson and other rivers in southern Queensland.^[5] After enquiries I made to individuals residing at various places it seems that, as is mentioned above, the extraction of teeth on the Australian continent is a common, but not a general, phenomenon.