22 KKCORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM- 



2. In the far Nortli-Weslein Distiicts, the hair of the head — 

 and especially is this the case witli the males — is dressed 

 with fat (snake, iguana, etc.) after growing a ceriain 

 length, and put up very much after the st3'le of the throms in a 

 mo[)-br()oni. This facilitates not only its removal when required 

 for subsequent use in making liair-twine, but also prevents its 

 becoming too closely matted together. On the Eastern Coast- 

 line, from Princess Charlotte Buy to Cape Grafton, the fashion is 

 adopted only by the immedi;ite relatives during the period of 

 mourning, when the luiiris allowed to gtow previous to its being 

 cut and manufactured into mourning-stiings ; with cliildren, how- 

 ever, it is a matter of common routine, the throms tixed up with 

 beeswax being still further decorated on occasion with the ivd 

 and black Jequirety {Ahrus precatorius') seeds. Hair may be 

 kept short by singeing with hre, or by cutting with quartz-crystal 

 (Bioomtield River), split cuttle shell (Keppel Island), various 

 bivalves {e.g. I'erna), stone-flakes, etc. At Brisl^ane, women's 

 hair was always cut short, so as to prevent them catching hold 

 of each oilier's when lighting — a very common habit this of 

 tearing at the hair. They cut it with a shaip flint or the 3'Ugari- 

 shell, its native name. The men's hair, combed out with a- 

 pointed kangaiyo bone, was allowed to grow long, and when 

 necessary the throms would be cut off to make hair-twine, 

 tiead-lice were considered an advantage ; a man would often lie 

 down with his head resting in his wife's lap when she would 

 comb his hair, examine for the vermin, perhaps eat some, make a 

 peculiar smacking noise when squeezing others, or, if it were 

 perfectly clean in this respect, she would infect it from some one 

 else's head. The beard was very seldom allowed to grow long. 

 Each sex would have the entire limbs and hody, except the 

 genitalia, rendered free from hair by singeing with a fiie-stick — 

 parts which they could not reach, their friends would singe for 

 them. The entiie surface would then be smeared with charcoal 

 and grease {2\ Felrie). 



3. The pulling out of the moustache or beard, or both, hair by 

 hair, was not uncommon on the Tully lliver ; either another man 

 or his gin will do it for the individual interested, the depilation 

 going on for hours at a stretch. No reason for the j)ractice was 

 forthcoming, though the introduction of razors and glass is 

 superseding it. On the other hand some men would fancy a 

 long beaid, and accordingly retain it. Depilation was also 

 practised on the Tully and Proseipeine Rivers ; on the latter, 

 when hair first shewed on the upper lip or chin, the young men 

 would take hold of a bit of it here and there with a blob of wax, 



