NEW SOUTH WALES. 19 



wood at the end of a line into the water to cat eh 

 worms, maggots, and other vermin. 



Though a trivial offence in their ideas jus- 

 tifies the murder of each other, they highly 

 reprobate the* crime, when committed ..without 

 what they esteem a just cause, an4the relations 

 of the slain seek redress by retaliation. 



The colour of the natives, is by no means 

 uniform, some are of a copper' colour, while 

 others are perfectly black, but so filthy are they 

 in their persons that their appearance is gene- 

 rally that of dirty black ; when first born the 

 skin is of a red hue, which in a few weeks turns 

 to the colour of the parents, and then it never 

 changes again. *tyf h y i/lQ 



o f / N ^ > 



, ^ £ ^0&/ IN- 



DWELLINGS. 



Those who repose on the soft pillow of ease 

 will doubtless pity the situation of these savages, 

 to the regular-built house, the protecting door, 

 and the refreshing bed they are equally strangers. 

 The miserable huts in which these people exist 

 are made of the barks of trees, placed with both 

 ends on the ground. Those near the' coast 

 are larger than those in the woods, which are 

 generally formed only of one bark, .-and shelter 

 one person, while the large ones hold five or 

 six. At the mouth of each dwelling is, in most 

 cases a nest of insects, drawn together by the 

 bones and remnants of their foc-d, and close to 

 the hut is the fire which renders it smokey. 

 Accidents by lire are frequent, many burn 



