126 MIDWIFERY. 



which emanates from such a putrifying substance. 

 Habit must reconcile them to it, for a woman 

 carrying such a burden, may be " nosed" at 

 a long distance before seen ; and a stranger, un- 

 acquainted with this native custom, will see a 

 woman with a large pack upon her back, from 

 which such an odour proceeds, as to make him 

 doubt from what it can be produced. When the 

 body becomes dry, or only the bones left, the re- 

 mains are burnt, buried, or placed into a hollow 

 trunk or limb of a tree : in the latter instance co- 

 vering the opening carefully with stones, &c. 

 All the information that could be procured from 

 them respecting this disgusting custom, was, 

 " that they were afraid, if they buried them, the 

 Buckee, or devil-devil would take them away." 

 When the adults among the aborigines die, 

 the body is consigned to the hollow trunk of a 

 tree, cave, or in the ground, according to circum- 

 stances, and wood, stones, &c. are piled on the 

 entrance, or over the grave, so that, according 

 to the ideas of these poor, superstitious savages, 

 the Buckee may not be able to find them. 



Even after the relation of this disgusting cus- 

 tom, these people are more degraded by writers 

 than they really appear when seen in the inte- 

 rior, uncontaminated by European vices, in 

 full native independence, hunters, but not tillers 



