ABORIGINES. 275 



The aborigines manifested a strong desire to 

 see the new " white feller" who had come among 

 them, which it seemed was a rare occurrence in 

 this secluded place : they were all eager for 

 tobacco — some proof they were advancing to- 

 wards civilization. Both males and females were 

 in a state of nudity, wearing the opossum-skin 

 cloaks only as a protection from the weather; 

 and the septum naris had the usual perforation 

 and ornament through it. Some of the females 

 had tolerably pretty features, with dark hair, short, 

 and having a natural curl, not, however, in any 

 respect like the frizzled hair of the African negro, 

 or the spiral twist of that race so closely allied to 

 them — the Papuan, but that curled appearance 

 often seen in the hair of European races. Many 

 of the females wore the front teeth of the kan- 

 garoo as ornaments attached to their hair, and 

 esteemed them for that purpose. The native 

 weapons are clubs, spears,* the bomerang, and 

 shields, which latter have rude ornaments carved 

 with the incisor tooth of a kangaroo upon them. 



The numerals in the aboriginal language at this 



* The spears are six to twelve feet long ; the shorter are 

 made of reed pointed with hard wood ; the longer are rude 

 sticks sharpened at the extremity. They use a throwing- 

 stick, similar to the one seen among the natives in the vicinity 

 of Sydney and other parts of the colony. 



T 2 



