THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



and capable of holding ten per- 

 sons. These they construct with 

 stakes covered with clay. So 

 backward are these people in 

 civilisation that many of the coast 

 tribes know nothing of navigation. 

 On the north-west coast we find 

 only simple rafts, made of man- 

 grove branches tied together. In 

 Southern Australia we meet with 

 canoes made from the bark of the 

 eucalyptus. Though these are 

 very light and frail, natives will 

 venture out to sea in them for 

 several miles. In New South 

 Wales they use tree-stems hol- 

 lowed out by the action of fire, 

 like the neolithic men of Europe. 

 Cook saw boats of this kind 13 

 feet long. 



Knowing nothing of agricul- 

 ture, and having no flocks and 

 herds, the blacks can hardly be 

 said to have an ample larder. Of 

 course they prefer animal food, 

 but game is not always to be had. 

 Sometimes they devour their 

 dogs, which originally were dingoes, 

 but now are mostly crossed with 

 European breeds. They are other- 

 wise very kind to these domestic 

 pets, the women even suckling the 

 young ones. There are very few 

 animals that they will not eat. 

 Occasionally they get a dead whale 

 or catch a dugong. Besides the 

 marsupials of their country, such 

 as kangaroos, wombats, and opos- 

 sums, they eat birds and eggs, 

 lizards, snakes, frogs, tadpoles, and 

 the larvae of insects. White ants 

 are eaten alive, and a certain moth, 

 which is very abundant, is con- 

 sidered a great delicacy. Snakes 

 are also much appreciated. Tad- 

 poles are fried on grass. Certain 

 roots and fruit are used as dessert 

 after meat. Many kinds of shell- 

 fish are eaten. Of the vegetables 

 one of the best is a certain wild 

 The roots of the bulrush are roasted and kneaded into cakes. Fruits are not abundant, 



Photo by Kerry & Co. 



A. NATIVE OF TWEED RIVER. 



yam. 



but the young leaves of the grass-tree are much eaten, as it grows abundantly. The people are 



