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the party returning from the kangaroo hunt—was chief of the King George tribe, and had been so far reclaimed from his former mode of life, as to live almost entirely at the settlement; but his wandering propensities at last prevailed, and he rejoined his companions in the woods, where he shortly afterwards died.
The dress of the native consists of the kangaroo cloak, fastened at the right shoulder by a bone or rush, a head-dress of emu feather, or the brush of the wild dog, and a fur band round the waist, head, and arm. An angular and tattooed body, smeared over with grease and red pigment, slender limbs, horny feet, long black hair, a tolerably wide mouth and thickish lips, a fine set of teeth, round face, flat forehead, a large but not prominent nose, with a bone[1] stuck through the septum, and eyes deeply sunk in the face, a throwing stick and spears in his right hand, and a torch in his left, complete the picture of an Australian savage.
The natives of the known parts are scattered over the country in thin tribes, which differ from one another slightly in appearance and customs, though much in dialect. Each tribe occupies a large and determinate tract, which is subdivided into smaller portions as hunting-grounds for individuals, who jealously watch over, and instantly retaliate encroachment upon their shares. Here,
- ↑ This is said to be the small bone of the leg of the kangaroo.
