Physical Character.—Height, weight, and size.—Color.—Hair.—Odour.—Senses.—Physical powers.—Use of feet and toes.—Portraits of natives—Victoria and Queensland—Tasmanian—Malayo-Polynesians—Chinese.—Natives of Australia generally.—Half-castes
1
Mental Character.—Capacity and faculties.—Thomas Bungeleen.—Bennilong.—Treatment of whites.—Fidelity.—Courage.—Modes of expressing defiance and contempt.—Modesty.—Affections
22
Numbers and Distribution of the Aborigines.—Estimate made by Sir Thomas Mitchell—By Mr. E. S. Parker—By Mr. Wm. Thomas.—Numbers in the Counties of Bourke, Evelyn, and Mornington.—Character of the country inhabited by the natives.—Available area.—The tribes of the river-basins.—New estimate of the numbers.—Natives seen by Landsborough.—Difficulty of estimating the numbers seen in the bush.—Map showing the areas occupied by tribes.—Names of "petty nations" and tribes.—Number and distribution of natives in 1863 and subsequently.—Number now living.—Number collected at the several Aboriginal stations
31
Birth and Education of Children.—Birth.—Behaviour towards the mother.—Treatment of the infant.—Mode of carrying children.—Nurture.—Procuring food.—Swimming.—Education.—Sports.—Toys.—Natives affectionate and gentle in their treatment of children.—No artificial means used to alter the form of the body of a child.—Infanticide.—Naming children.—Coming of age of young men and young women—Ceremonies in various parts of Australia—Tib-but—Murrum Tur-uk-ur-uk—Jerryale.—Upper Yarra natives.—Lake Tyers.—The Narrinyeri.—Port Lincoln.—New South Wales.—Macleay and Nambucca.—Circumcision
46
Marriage.—Obtaining wives.—Betrothals.—Early marriages.—Elopements—The ordeal.—Condition of a young unmarried man.—Fights.—Maiming the bride.—How matches are made.—Barter.—Meeting of the young man and the young women.—Promiscuous Intercourse not common.—Exogamy.—Classes in Victoria—In South Australia.—Children take the family name of the mother.—A man may not marry a woman of his own class.—Classes at Port Lincoln—In West Australia—In New South Wales—At Port Essington.—Investigations of Fison and Howitt.—Morgan's theories respecting laws of marriage and systems of consanguinity—Bridgman's statements as to the system in Queensland—Stewart's account of that in force at Mount Gambler—Effect of the prohibitions.—Latham's remarks on these laws.—Strezelecki's theory respecting curtailment of power of continuing the species under certain circumstances—Its fallacy exposed.—Statements of Hartmann, Green, and Hagenauer.—A man may not see or speak to his mother-in-law.—Behaviour towards widows.—Marriages of black men with white women
76
Death, and Burial of the Dead.—Carrying the remains of a dead child.—Various modes of disposing of the dead.—A dying native.—Behaviour of the natives.—Death.—Preparation of the body for interment.—Inquest.—Belief in sorcery.—Interment.—Mourning.—The grave.—The widow watching the grave.—Death of a black after sunset.—Revenge.—Burning the bodies of the dead.—Placing bodies in the hollows of trees.—Practices of the Goulburn tribes.—Modes of disposing of the dead on the Lower Murray—Stanbridge's account.—Burial ceremonies of the Narrinyeri—Of the Encounter Bay tribe—Of the Port Lincoln tribe—Of the West Australian blacks— Of the Cooper's Creek tribes—Of the Fraser Island (Queensland) tribes.—Modes of burial of other uncivilized races
98
A Native Encampment and the Daily Life of the Natives.—Travelling.—Cutting bark.—Erection of miams.—Arrangement of camps.—Cooking and eating.—Government of a camp.—Duties of the head of a family.—Domestic affairs.—Punishment of offences.—Messengers.—Visitors.—Welcoming friends.—Great gathering of natives at the Merri Creek.—Respect paid to aged persons.—Kul-ler-kul-lup and Billibillari.—Influence of old men in the camp.—Principal woman of the Colac tribe.—Good haters.—Their affection for their friends.—Bun-ger-ring.—King-er-ra-noul.—King Benbow.—Life during the four seasons.—Natives not always improvident.—Property in land.—Personal rights.—Dogs.—Climbing trees.—Signalling.—Swearing amity.—Fights.—Conveying a challenge.—Dances.—Games and amusements.—An encampment at night.—Traffic amongst the tribes
123
Food.—Hunting the kangaroo.—The opossum.—The wombat.—The native bear.—The bandicoot.—The porcupine.—The native dog.—The native cat.—Squirrels.—Bats.—Smaller marsupials.—The emu.—The turkey.—The native companion.—Ducks and other wild-fowl.—Parrots.—Snaring small birds.—Catching crows.—The turtle.—Reptiles.—Catching fish.—Shell-fish.—Bees.—Pupae of ants.—Grubs.—Eggs.—Vegetable food.—Vegetables that are commonly eaten in various parts of Australia.—Drinks.—Manna.—List of vegetables usually eaten by the natives of Victoria.—Seeds and grinding seeds.—Compungya.—Berries.—Nuts.—Nardoo.—Geebung.—Five-corners.—Nonda.—Bunya-bunya.—Water-yielding trees.—Narcotics.—Food of the natives of Cooper's Creek.—Vegetable food of the natives of the North-East.—Forbidden food.—Mirrn-yongs.—Shell-mounds.—Stone-shelters.—Cannibalism.—The habits of animals as related by the natives
183
Diseases.—Ophthalmia.—Small-pox.—Diseases affecting the natives prior to the advent of the whites.—Native doctors and their methods of treating diseases.—Reports of Thomas and Goodwin on the diseases of the natives
253
Dress and Personal Ornaments.—Dress and ornaments of the natives of the Yarra—Of Gippsland—Of the Lower Murray—Of the natives of North-East Australia—Of the Dieyerie tribe
270
Ornamentation.—Character of the ornamentation of shields and other weapons in Victoria and other parts of Australia.—Pictures on bark.—Design for a tomb-stone.—Ornamentation of opossum rugs.—Pictures in caves.—Pictures on rocks.—Depuch Island.—Colors used.—Raised cicatrices.—Comparison of designs of Australians with those of the natives of New Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand
283
Offensive Weapons.—Clubs—Kud-jee-run—Kul-luk—Warra-warra—Leon-ile—Kon-nung—Bittergan.—Spears—Mongile—Nandum—Tir-rer—Koanie—Gow-dalie—Worme-goram—Ugie-koanie—Koy-yun.—Spears with stone heads.—Womerah or Gur-reek used for throwing spears.—Throw-sticks—Wonguim—Barn-geet—Li-lil—Quirriang-an-wun.—Various weapons compared.—Boomerangs which return and those which do not return.—Characteristics of the boomerang which returns to the thrower—Its axes.—Errors made in experimenting with throw-sticks.—Egyptian boomerang.—The hunga munga.—The trombash.—The es-sellem.—New boomerang.—Ferguson on the cateia.—Ornamented boomerangs
299
Defensive Weapons.—Shields—Mulga—Gee-am—Goolmarry.—Shields in use at Rockingham Bay
330
Weapons and Implements of the West Australians.—Kylie.—The gid-jee and other spears.—The meero.—The woonda or wooden shield.—The kadjo or stone hammer.—The stone chisel.— The meat-cutter.—The scoop or spade.—Other implements
335
Implements and Manufactures.—Bags and baskets.—Wooden vessels for holding water.—Skins.—Skull drinking cup.—Bark vessels.—Shells.—Tool for scraping.—Tool for carving.—Awls and nails.—The kan-nan.—The nerum.—The weet-weet.—Corrobboree-sticks.—Message-sticks
342
Stone Implements.—Hatchets.—Rocks used.—Quarries.—Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods.—Old axes and chips and flakes found in the soil—Axes not found in the alluvia.—Figures and descriptions of stone tomahawks.—Axe found on Pitcairn's Island.—Uses of the tomahawk.—Chisels and knives.—New Zealand axe.—Chips for spears—For scarring the flesh—For skins and for scraping, &c.—Stones for pounding and grinding seeds.—Sharpening-stones.—Stones used in fishing.—Stones used in basket-making.—Sacred stones
357
Nets and Fish-hooks.—Large net.—Hand-net.—Fibres used in making nets.—Fish-hooks
388
Methods of Producing Fire.—Twirling the upright stick.—Rubbing across a crack with the wooden knife.—Methods of producing fire in various parts of the world.—Holy fires of the Germanic races.—Witchcraft.—Fire produced accidentally.—Volcanoes
393
Canoes.—Bark canoes of the Victorian natives.—How propelled.—Cutting bark for canoes.—Trees yielding bark suitable for making canoes.—Numbers carried in canoes of various sizes.—Natives fishing from canoes.—Statements relating to the canoes in use in various parts of Australia
407
Myths.—Pundjel.— The first men.—The first women.—The dispersion of mankind.— Death.—The man with a tail.—Origin of the sea.—How water was first obtained—The sun.—The moon.—The sun, the moon, and the stars.—Native names of and tales respecting the sun, the moon, and the stars.—The bun-yip.—Myndie.—Kur-bo-roo.—Mirram and Warreen.—Boor-a meel.—The emu and the crow.—The eagle, the mopoke, and the crow.—Mornmoot-bullarto mornmoot.—Loo-errn.—Wi-won-der-rer.—Buk-ker-til-lible.—The River Murray.—Nrung-a-narguna.—Kootchee.—Fire—How Fire was first obtained.—Priests and sorcerers.—Marm-bu-la.—Bowkan, Brewin, and Bullundoot.—Aboriginal legend of a deluge.—The Port Albert frog.—How the black fellows lost and regained fire.—The native dog.—The history of Bolgan
