BEGINNING AS A COLLECTOR 33 



results, but still doing fairly well. I was able to 

 make some interesting observations, however, of the 

 habits of the Australian natives, who at that time 

 in this district had not come very much into contact 

 with white people. At Alligator Point, near our 

 camp, there was a favourite meeting-place of the 

 aboriginals, and some grand corroborees were held 

 there. I have seen over 300 natives taking part 

 in one of these. The natives were gorgeously painted 

 up and were adorned with the down of young white 

 cockatoos stuck with beeswax on to their bodies 

 in geometrical designs. They carried shields of great 

 size and also large clubs. The tactics in fighting 

 seemed to be to try to beat down an enemy's guard with 

 the club by mere brute force. The Kanakas engaged 

 then on the sugar plantations would occasionally 

 take part in the rows with the natives, and would use 

 cross-cut saws in place of clubs. 



The Australian aboriginals have no architecture, 

 but a black fellow camping for a night usually makes 

 a breakwind of bark, boughs or bushes on the side 

 from which he expects the wind to blow during the 

 night. His weather forecast is generally correct too. 

 His bed is formed of green twigs or grass. Camps 

 intended to be more permanent are usually bark 

 huts open in front. In some places bark is almost 

 exclusively used, and is good for the purpose, since 

 it can be procured sometimes in slabs about twelve 

 feet long and ten broad. Overhanging rocks, hollow 



