NATIVES AT CAPE YORK. 125 



dialects were spoken^ but I failed then to connect 

 them Avith particular tribes or even find out Avhich^ 

 if any^ were the resident ones. Among* these 

 were two or three of the Papuan race^ from some 

 of the islands of Torres Strait. It appeared to me 

 that a constant friendly intercourse exists between the 

 natives of the southern portion of Torres Strait and 

 those of the main land about Cape York^ which last^ 

 from its central position^ is much frequented during* 

 their occasional^ perhaps periodical mig*rations. 

 This free communication between the races would 

 account for the existence in the vocabular}' I then 

 procured at Cape York of a considerable number of 

 words (at least 31 out of 248) identical with those 

 g*iven by Jukes in his vocabularies of Darnley 

 Island and Masseed^ especially the latter. 



The physical characteristics of these Australians 

 seen at Cape York differ in no respect fi*om those 

 of the same race which I have seen elsewhere. 

 The absence of one or more of the upper incisors 

 was not observed here^ nor had circumcision or any 

 similar rite been practised^ as is the case in some 

 parts of the continent. Among* these undoubted 

 Australians were^ as already mentioned^ two or three 

 Papuans. They differed in appearance from the 

 others in having* the skin of a much lig-hter colour — 

 yellowish brown instead of nearly black— the hair on 



individuals — for the shin-hone, woras which in the course of time 

 I found to mean respectively, the leg— the shin-bone — the skin — 

 and hone in general. 



