OF LA PEROUSE. 4I 



they were going to fwallow it. Confidence was, 

 however, eftablifhcd to fuch adegree, that one 

 of the women, who was fuckling a child, was 

 not afraid to entruft it to feveral of us. 



I thought that thefe inhabitants, pafllng rnoft 

 of their nights in the open air, under a fky of 

 fo very variable a temperature, would have been 

 fubject to violent ophthalmia; neverthelefs they 

 all had very found eyes, except one who had a 

 cataracl. 



Some M'ere feated on the fkins of kangaroos, 

 and a few others had a fmall pillow which they 

 call roeri^, about two decim.eters in length, and 

 covered with fkin; on this they lean their 

 elbows. 



We remarked with furprife the fingula. ap- 

 pearance of the women when they are feated on 

 the ground. It appears that it is the fafliion 

 among thefe ladies, who then have their knees 

 very widely fpread, to conceal, with one of 

 their feet, that which it is contrary to decorum 

 to fuffer to be i^ctw in this pofture; although, 

 in other refpects, they are for the moft part en- 

 tirely naked. 



Thefe people feemed fo nearly in a ftate of 

 nature, that their fmalleft actions appeared to 

 me to merit obfervation.. Accordingly I fliall 

 not pafs over in filence the correction which a 

 father infiided on one of his children, for hav- 



