Physique.

Opinions as to their physique and general appearance must not be formed by the wretched-looking objects who may be occasionally seen at the present day hanging about the old established inland towns and public-houses. In their natural state the young members are particularly well formed—lithe and active. Some are perfect models, their limbs well shaped and muscular, hands and feet small, especially those of the women. They have at this time a pleasing expression of countenance, but as they get old they soon lose even these charms, the old women being perfectly hideous.

The colour of their skin is a dark dusky brown, hair black and curly, wavy, altogether unlike the negro. Their movements are easy and natural. In searching for game they walk along with body erect, slowly and cautiously, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Their eyes and ears "all about them," occasionally stopping to give a searching look at some tree which they think may possibly shelter an opossum or native bear, or else to listen for the movements of a kangaroo or wallaby. They watch their game as a cat does a mouse, without even winking the eye, and will remain motionless for a length of time, until an opportunity is given for them to strike a blow.

Savages as they are, they are not without some sense of good feeling, as in the case of the death of Mr. Kennedy, the rescue of King, the sole survivor of Burke and Wills's expedition, and other instances. I was a witness to the following:—A blackfellow who had fallen from a tree and had dislocated his ankle, was lying on the ground, under his blanket, when his brother accidentally stood upon the injured limb; this caused the poor fellow to shriek with pain. His brother at once threw himself beside the wounded man, and hugged him, kissed him, caressed him, and did all in his power to comfort him. It was genuine sorrow, and a most touching scene between these two half-naked savages. They never neglect the old and infirm. The blind and cripples are led about and carefully attended to.

They are particular in all points of etiquette, consequently many a man has lost his life by unconsciously infringing their rales—such as walking into a camp without first obtaining leave. This may be considered equivalent to a person walking into a stranger's page 60 house and sitting down without being asked. In the one case the intruder gets a knock on the head which settles him at once, in the other he is kicked out.

Whilst their thoughts are by no means retrospective, they certainly do not look far ahead. So long as they have plenty to eat and drink for the time being they are happy; the future causes them no anxiety. They are thoroughly improvident They cannot carry their minds back beyond the oldest man they may individually recollect, and whom they suppose to have been the first man. The dislike or objection they entertain of ever mentioning the name or of alluding in any way to a deceased person naturally encourages the obliteration from their memories of the existence of any great ancestors.

A koradgee told me that he had a perfect recollection of the first man, who was a very old man when he was quite a boy. This first man, feeling lonely, paddled his canoe to the constellation Pleiades, the seven stars, which are inhabited solely by women, by their belief.^* There he secured a wife, but refusing to pay a fee to a large serpent who had charge of these stars the serpent endeavoured to arrest him, but failing in that he hurled a large rock after him and took away the canoe. The canoe is now represented by Orion's belt. The serpent can be traced in the milky way, and the rock, which was similar to the Magellan clouds, is to be seen in the middle of a swamp or open flat somewhere. The old black was credited with having got the best of the squabble, for he retained his wife and built another canoe for himself.