10 THEIR TREATMENT BY THE MEN. 



and kindness. Several instances of this kind of 

 barbarity came under my own notice. Piaquai 

 (before mentioned) when spoken to about his wife 

 whom he had killed a fortnio-ht before in a fit of 

 passion^ seemed much amused at the idea of having- 

 g'ot rid of her unborn child at the same time. One 

 morning- at Cape York^ Paida did not keep his 

 appointment with me as usual ; on making* inquiry, 

 I found that he had been squabbling- with one of his 

 wives a few minutes before, about some trifle, and 

 had speared her through the hip and groin. On 

 expressing- my disapproval of what he had done, 

 adding- that white men never acted in that manner, 

 he turned it oft' by jocularly observing- that althoug-h 

 / had only one wife, lie had two, and could easily 

 spare one of them. As a further proof of the low 

 condition of the women, I may state that it is upon 

 them that the only restrictions in eating particular 

 sorts of food are imposed. Many kinds of fish, 

 including- some of the best, are forbidden on the 

 pretence of their causing- disease in Avomen, although 

 not injurious to the men. The hawksbill turtle and 

 its eg-gs are forbidden to women suckling, and no 

 female, until beyond child bearing, is permitted to 

 eat of the Torres Strait pigeon. 



Among- other pieces of etiquette to be practised 

 after marriag-e among both the Kowraregas and 

 Gudangs, a man must carefuUy avoid speaking- to 

 or even mentioning- the name of his mother-in-law, 

 and his wife acts similarly with regard to her 



