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they often eat murdered babies. They seeoi to consider this tlie 

 kindest way to bury the little ones, and only the nearest and 

 dearest friends are allowed to partake of this repast. But they 

 will not touch the head. They say the devil-devil, i.e., the ghost 

 or spirit, is in the head. They always bury it. 



A blackfellow will always deny that his tribe practises can- 

 nibalism, but accuses every other tribe of the same. The Cherites 

 once told me that the Ponga-pongas, not content with an odd 

 baby, really fattened up girls for the shambles. About twelve 

 years of young life were allowed them. 



The natives tell us also that to the south-west there is a small 

 tribe which inhaljits a hilly and very poor country. It happens 

 sometimes, esj)ecially througli bushtires, that they are absolutely 

 deprived of, and far removed from, all sources of supply. They 

 go to sleep, the young men knowing well that before morning- 

 one of their number will be killed by the old men. Each hopes 

 he will not be the doomed one. With the provisions so obtained 

 the little tribe moves on next day to a more favoured locality. 



When a child is to be murdered the doctor is called. The 

 children believe the child to be really ill. While the doctor 

 or executioner examines the child, a great "keen" is raised, 

 during which he strangles the infant. These doctors are great 

 rascals, and what is said of them in other parts of Australia 

 might be repeated here. I saw one performing once. As he 

 approached the sick man he looked to the sun, as if praying. 

 Then he seemed to mumble some charm. He would continually 

 draw his lingers through his opposite arm-pit, and rub the 

 moisture so obtained into the body of the patient, Ijlowing every 

 now and again over the parts so rubl^ed. 



But apart from these mummeries they do seem to know some- 

 thing of the curing art. They certainly go in greatly for massage, 

 and I know by experience that they can give relief. In very 

 violent cases of headache they bleed tlieir foreheads. They are 

 very temperate in the drinking of water, even on the hottest day. 

 They say it is not good, and prefer a bath. 



They attribute to the smoking of the dried leaves of the native 

 yam — amorphophalbis — the effects which we obtain from ether 

 or chloroform. A short smoke makes one sleepy ; if he smoke 

 too long he will not awaken. While so sleeping he is, they say, 

 unconscious of pain. On the other hand, although a species of 

 chinchona tree is very common, they do not seem to know that 

 this might be of use to them in the fever so prevalent in that 

 marshy country. 



Cases of cancer are frequent, and syphilitic diseases seem to 

 gain upon them. As far as I know they have no word in their 

 language for this disease. They seem also to have no cure. It 



