524 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 



removed, the effect would be immense. They select themselves for 

 removal ; but we now renovate, cultivate, and stupidly liberate 

 them again and again, to victimise society and degrade posterity. 

 Mr. Darwin wrote to me that he had long thought that habitual 

 criminals should be confined for life, but that he had not, until 

 reading my views, recognised the importance of extinguishing the 

 breed. But confinement for life is too barbarovis. Humanity 

 demands that punishment, being a failure, should be discarded. 

 Society owes protection to good citizens, and should, if possible, 

 anticipate first offences. It cannot anticipate the first, but it can 

 and ought to anticipate the second, of which now it is largely 

 guilty. Human life is worthless to society if not useful, but if 

 mischievous it should be forfeited. And it is worthless — a loss — 

 to the criminal, not being happy. The lives of criminals, lunatics, 

 and idiots are not only useless, but painful to them, a mischief to 

 society, and far worse to posterity. The humane course is to 

 narcotise them on their first conviction. Ten years of this system 

 would go far to abolish crime, if not lunacy, and would rapidly 

 raise the average of morality and intelligence of the human race. 



o- (jn-o 



7.— NOTES ON THE OMEO AND MONARO TRIBES. 

 By R. HELMS. 

 (Withdrawn.) 



o-iji-o 



8.— A WILD TRIBE OF NATIVES NEAR POPILTAH, 

 WENTWORTH, NEW SOUTH WALES. 



By A. F. GUDMORE. 



(Communicated by T. Gill ) 



For some years past paragraphs haA'e appeared in the public 

 press stating that a wild tribe of aborigines existed in the malice 

 scrub contiguous to the boundary line between New South Wales 

 and South Australia, but no reliable information could be obtained 

 on the matter. Eventually, Mr. A. F. Cudmore, of Popiltah 

 Station, succeeded in bringing the whole tribe into his station. His 

 communication on the subject, dated September 14th, 1893, is as 

 follows : — 



