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Aug. 21, 1873] | 
NATURE 
323 
Further than this, I also found that as regarded myself, I 
never lost the distinct perception of the direction in which my 
home, or camp, or starting-point for the day was situated, and 
in endeavouring to trace out and analyse this feeling, I at last 
came to the clear perception that it depended upon an un- 
conscious action of the memory thus recording the alterations of 
the courses I had followed, and which by an effort of the 
memory I could recall. On this point I feel quite clear, for 
from the practice of paying especial attention during constant 
explorations to the course travelled, both for the purpose of 
keeping a correct dead reckoning, as also for the delineation of 
the features of the country passed over, I have found the faculty 
intensified, and the process more evident to myself. I may say 
that during the course of those twenty years’ experience, I have 
never found the faculty at fault. 
I believe in this lies the explanation of the power possessed 
by cattle and horses of finding their way from one place to the 
other irrespective of the road they may have gone. 
I now propose to record some instances showing how cattle 
and horses in this district have endeavoured to reach the places 
where they were reared, and the truth of which I do not in the 
least question. To show how frequently such cases are met with 
here, where horses and cattle are bred in a half wild state at large 
in the bush, I may note that on determining to make this com- 
munication, I spoke to the first persons I met with who were 
likely from their pursuits to have noticed instances of the nature 
I required ; of these persons, four at once gave me the ‘particu- 
lars I am about to relate. But before doing so I must further 
remark, as bearing perhaps not remotely upon the question, that 
T have not met with aboriginal natives, either as savages or as 
“tame blacks,”’ who possessed any power of finding their way 
from pl ace to place differing i1 its nature, though perhaps in its 
degree, from that to be found in every good “ bushman” among 
the whites. Their knowledge of country is entirely local—special 
as regards the district belonging to their tribe or family—general 
as regards the country of the neighbouring tribes. They know 
it thoroughly because they have been born in it and have roamed 
oyer it ever since. Out of their own locality I have found them 
to be inferior to a good wh'te “ bushman,” in so far that they 
are unable to reason out ary problem relating to the features of 
the country, and my experience has shown that out of their local 
knowledge I could never rely upon one of them in preference to 
my own judgment. I have remarked also that very few could, 
even in their own districts, travel straight from one place to an- 
other, say at twenty miles’ distance. I now refer especially to 
the aborigines of that part of the interior of the continent lying on 
each side, north and south, of Sturt’s Desert and including 
Cooper’s Creek. Asa rule they would ‘‘ give and take” some 
30° on each side of the course, correcting the direction from time 
to time as they recognised the “ lay of the country ” from rising 
ground. 
In order that the instances I shall now quote may be more 
clear, it will be necessary to say in the first place that all the 
localities mentioned below will be found named in the maps 
published by the Surveyor-General of Victoria, and no doubt 
also in others. The only exception is Deadcock Creek, which 
is however shown as a small stream falling into the Mitchell 
River, on the west side below Cobbannah Creek. All cattle and 
horses brought down from the Maneroo table-land in New South 
Wales to the Gippsland market, travel by one road vd the 
Black Mountain, Buchan, Bruthen, Bairusdale, and Stratford ; 
the distance from the centre of Maneroo district, say where the 
149th meridian crosses the Snowy River, to Stratford, is about 
180 travelled miles, and the number of cattle brought down 
annually may be about 12,000 ; of these a certain percentage 
escape and make their way back to the place where they were 
bred unless recovered on the way or hindered by natural obsta- 
cles. There is no other way from Maneroo into Gippsland ex- 
cepting the one mentioned, and the country northward between 
that road and the Great Dividing Range is occupied by high and 
rugged mountains, dense forests, and thick scrubs. The road 
from Maneroo crosses the rivers flowing from the Great Dividing 
Range. 
1. About four months ago a mob of cattle was brought down 
from O’Rourke’s Station, the Black Mountain, Snowy River, 
and sold at Stratford. After being two months on the Bushy 
Park run near Stratford, fourteen bullocks escaped from the 
paddocks, and on search being made were recovered at the junc- 
tion of Deadcock Creek with the Mitchell River. The line they 
had taken if carried out would go near the Black Mountain. 
2. A horse bred by Mr. Sheen of Omeo was taken down via 
Bruthen, Bairusdale, and Stratford, and sold ; was broken into 
harness, and worked by Mr. McFarlane, a contractor; was lost 
near Stratford, and on search being made was found at the 
junction of the Wentworth and Mitchell rivers. The line taken 
in this case is direct for Omeo. 
3. Mr. Dougald McMillan of Stratford some little time back 
bought a mare from a Maneroo ‘‘mob.” About a month ago 
she was lost from near Stratford in hobbles and was seen a day 
or two afterwards crossing ‘‘ Iguana Creek still in hobbles and 
as fast as she could go.” The people from the Glenalladale 
Station (Iguana Creek) being then engaged gathering some wild 
horses at Deadcock Creek, found her with them. This line 
taken was the usual one, and if carried out would cross the 
centre of Maneroo. 
These three cases were related to me by the stock-keeper at 
Glenalladale Station. 
4. A year or two back Mr. Kreymborg of Bairusdale pur- 
chased a mob of horses from O’Rourke Station, Black Moun- 
tain, and sold one, a black mare, broken to lead to a person 
named Gee, living at Cobbannah Creek. The mare remained 
with Gee’s horses for some time, but was then missed from 
Lower Cobbannah Creek and next heard of at Tabberabberah, 
and was recovered on Pettersen’s Station, at the foot of Mount 
Baldhead. 
This line bears a little away from the Black Mountain, but the 
nature of the country is such that the Mount Baldhead and 
Notch Hill tier of mountains form the end of a cz/ de sac, of 
which the open country at the junction of the Wentworth and 
Mitchell rivers is the mouth. This tract of forest country ~ 
fenced in by mountains a few years ago swarmed with stray 
cattle and their progeny ; three hundred bulls were shot by the 
then proprietors in, I believe, about two years. 
5. Mr. Freitag, who follows the occupation of packing up 
goods to the Crooked River gold-workings, tells me that he is 
in the habit of buying Maneroo horses at Stratford and breaking 
them in for use in his pack-train. He finds that for the first few 
trips they require watching carefully when camped at Iguana 
Creek, where the road to Crooked River turns northward, as 
they are very apt to make away at that place. When reco- 
vered they are usually found either at Deadcock Creek or up 
the river towards Tabberabberah, thus conforming strictly to the 
direction taken by cattle and horses in other instances. 
6. Thomas Dowling, employed in the stations of Messrs. 
Degraves, at Omeo, bought a mare from Mr. McKeachie, of 
Delegete in Maneroo. The mare was kept in the Hinnomungie 
paddock (Omeo) for two or three years. Being then taken to 
Bindi, about twelve miles distant, she escaped, and after being 
seen at Nannyong, was recov.red at Gelantipy, on the Snowy 
River. Nannyong is a smal open piece of country on the sum- 
mit of the mountain east of Bindi, and the country crossed over, 
fifty miles, is very difficult, the mountains being some 4,000 to 
5,000 ft. in altitude, and almost unknown even now except to 
stock-men, I came through, last summer, nearly in the line the 
mare must have taken. It is almost direct for Delegete. 
7. A buliock-driver named Richardson purchased a working 
bullock which had been sent down from Maneroo by the usual 
road forsale. He sold the bullock at Omeo—going up there 
with leading—to Mr. Lewis, the manager of Messrs. Degraves’ 
stations. The bullock was kept in the Hinnomungie paddock, 
but got out two or three times, and in each case made away 
across country direct for Maneroo, being recovered by the Messrs. 
Pendergast, of Mt. Leinster, and sent back to Mr. Lewis. 
These cases I have obtained from Mr, Lewis, and they are 
remarkable as showing the length of time during which cattle 
and horses retain the recollection of their native places, and also 
as showing, in even a more marked manner than those quoted 
first, that they return homewards without any regard to the track 
by which they have reached their place of departure. The cases 
from Stratford, on the other hand, illustrate the distances from 
which cattle will start for home. 
8. Mr. Mackiotosh, of Dargo, informs me that about two 
years ago, when gathering wild cattle on the Ayon River, he 
got away from his men down that river for many miles before 
he ascertained that he was astray. Finding, then, that his horse 
persisted in going in a certain direction, he gave him his head, 
and the horse went ina straight line to the place where the camp 
was fixed, a distance of some ten miles through a scrubby 
country, and without a track. 
I could continue quoting examples still further, but I fear that 
