BY GERARD KREFFT. 359 



Lagoon, near Junction 12 



M'Callum's, and Grant's Station 31 



Euston (including native police) 40 



Half-way Lagoon 29 



Kilkine 11 



M'Grath's Station 7 



Jainieson's Station, (Milldura), and 



Williams's Station, (Gall Gall) ... 35 



Darling Junction 35 



which, in round numbers, would amount to about 400 souls. 



Between Melbourne and the Campaspe, the natives have 

 very much degenerated, they were, in fact, represented by a few 

 old men and decrepit women, and two or three diseased wretched 

 children ; but, nearing the Murray, their condition appeared to 

 improve, and at Gunbower Creek they were found in considerable 

 numbers, most of the men fine stalwart fellows, some more than 

 six feet and one nearly seven feet in height. 



Fishes, crayfish, the eggs of tortoises, ducks, emus, the mallee 

 hen, and the black swan, appeared to be their principal food at 

 that time, they were therefore tolerably independent and remark- 

 ably lazy as I thought, though on consideration it appeared to 

 me that their philosophy was quite correct ; why should they 

 exert themselves ? They did not lay in stores, and many of their 

 viands being of a perishable nature, and to be had almost every 

 day, there was no reason why they should work like their civil- 

 ised brethren ; there are only two beings which appeared great 

 fools in their eyes, namely a white man and a working bullock. 



My stay at Gunbower Creek was not of sufficient duration to 

 study the manners and habits of these people ; the men all 

 carried guns (some very queer looking fowling pieces), they were 

 all tolerably good shots, but when trusted with ammunition 

 would invariably come home empty handed, though their own 

 camp fires seemed to be well supplied with a variety of game. 



After a while, many of the smaller animals were bartered for 

 tobacco and flour, but in not one instance could they be induced 

 to kill a bat ; they even asked, when I had captured one of these 

 creatures alive in the tent, to let it go, as it was " brother 

 belonging: to blackfellow." 



