PHRENOLOGY. 243 



and caution being overcome in some degree, 

 by curiosity.* 



The field of wheat at this station being just 

 ripe, a man was obliged to be almost constantly 

 on the watch, to prevent the " white cock- 

 atoos" from attacking and destroying it. These 

 birds are named " Wagara," or " Muruen," 

 by the aborigines : they were not yet very 

 numerous, as the harvest was earlier than usual ; 

 but last year, I was told, the season was later, 



* When on one occasion the head of a native was under 

 examination, a gentleman present asked the wondering black, 

 " if he knew what was doing to his head ?" Blackee an- 

 swered in the negative. . " Why you will no more be able to 

 catch kangaroos or opossums." No sooner was this said, 

 than the black started away in anger, seized and flourished 

 his spear, exclaiming, " What for you do that ? What for 

 you do all the same that !" And the unfortunate manipulator 

 of savage craniums, as also his companion, began to be appre- 

 hensive, that the practice of the science was in a high degree 

 dangerous among uncivilized beings. 



On another occasion, the temporal muscle was found un- 

 usually large in the head of a native black under investiga- 

 tion : this was remarked by the phrenologist to a gentleman 

 who stood near him, at the same time squeezing it, and saying 

 to blackee, " Cobbong (large) this." " Ah ! " exclaimed the 

 black as he made off at a rapid pace, " me now see what you 

 want; you want patta," (eat) and escaped as quickly as 

 possible from the ravenous cannibal appetite he supposed 

 the phrenologist to possess. 



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