NATIVE MODE OF FISHING. 401 



I was naturally much interested in this part of 

 my journey, being anxious to see if the shelter here 

 existing merited the name, given in the chart, of 

 Victor Harbour ; but the only protection, except- 

 ing for a small vessel in the north-west corner, and 

 from northerly and westerly winds, is under a little 

 island, where it is possible one or two vessels may 

 lie. From Hindmarsh I saw the entrance of Lake 

 Alexandrina, among some sand-hills at the entrance 

 of which Capt. Barker was murdered by the natives ; 

 a circumstance which gave rise to the name of 

 Encounter Bay, and attached a melancholy interest 

 to the spot. 



Here for the first time, I met a Murray River 

 native among a party of others. He was certainly 

 the finest Australian in make I had ever seen, being 

 robust and stout, like a South Sea Islander. A 

 German Missionary, who had a native school at 

 Hindmarsh, took us to see a curious method of 

 catching fish resorted to at this place, which, as it 

 has not been noticed by Mr. Eyre, I shall describe. 

 A party of natives, each provided with a large 

 square piece of net, rolled up, with a stick at either 

 end, swam out to a certain distance from shore, and 

 spread themselves into a semicircle. Every man 

 then relinquished one of the sticks round which his 

 piece of net was rolled, to his right-hand neigh- 

 bour, and received another from his left ; when, 

 bringing the two together, a great seine was formed. 



VOL. II. 2 D 



