Prevalence of Cannibalism. 33 



covered by the surviving relatives with straw and wood, who 

 then set fire to the funeral pyre. Some days later the aslies 

 and calcined bones are collected and burnt. The name of 

 the dead is never again pronounced, any individual of the 

 same tribe, who may also happen to bear it, being compelled 

 to exchange it for another. 



The prevalence of cannibalism is a well-established fact 

 among the natives of the north. M. Augos, amongst other 

 interesting particulars, mentioned one case, where a boy died 

 in the vicinity of Moreton Bay, whose head and skin, ac- 

 cording to the savage habits of the natives, were separated 

 from the rest of his body and dried over a fire. The father 

 and mother were both present and uttered loud cries. The 

 heart, liver, and entrails were divided among the warriors, 

 who carried away with them pieces stuck on their bone- 

 pointed spears ; while the upper part of the thigh (ap- 

 parently the tit-bit) was roasted and eaten by the parents 

 themselves ! The skin, the skull, and the bones were, on the 

 other hand, carefully packed up and taken away with them 

 in their grass sacks. It is not unusual for a mother to 

 devour her own child, that she may thereby regain the 

 strength which the fruit of her womb has abstracted from 

 her ! When a warrior of a hostile tribe falls into their hands 

 they celebrate his sacrifice with savage glee, by rubbing 

 their bodies with the fat around their victim's kidneys, by 

 which means they believe they strengthen their muscles 

 and inspire their hearts with courage. In the southern parts 



VOL. III. 



