22 Lower Murray Aborigines. 



and is composed of some shiny substance. They account for 

 this by saying it gives no warmth like the sun ; they com- 

 pare it to an opossum rug in this way. When a native 

 begins to make a rug, as soon as he has procured a few skins, 

 he sews them together, and wears them on some part of his 

 person, going on adding to it daily, but wearing it all the 

 time, until at last it becomes a finished rug. After this, of 

 course, it gradually begins to fray at the edges, until, like 

 the moon, it is worn out ; then they commence a new one in 

 the same way. 



They have tales and legends about nearly every planet in 

 the heavens, but it would lengthen this paper too much to 

 transcribe them here. 



They make canoes from the bark of the red gum ; they 

 generally select a tree with a bend in it for this purpose, as 

 that saves them a great many hours work in the manufac- 

 ture of their tiny craft; because if they use the bark of a 

 straight stem they have to give it the necessary curve at 

 each end by means of. fire. They use these frail vessels very 

 dexterously in the pursuit of fish, which they spear with the 

 paddle, which has hooked grains at one end made of kan- 

 garoo leg bones. 



They also chase swans and other aquatic birds during the 

 moulting season, and capture canoe loads of them. Each 

 male adult is the proprietor of a canoe, and he values it more 

 than any other thing he possesses. 



The only domestic animal they have is the native dog ; 

 they use these animals for hunting, and for food in the 

 winter time, when game is scarce, and the winter bois- 

 terous. 



They have no set terms for declaring war ; their only 

 mode of warfare is to creep into the camp of their foe, and 

 when all are hushed in sleep, slay all who cannot get away, 

 irrespective of age or sex. After the oneUe they cut off the 

 limbs of their victims, and carry them home in triumph, re- 

 counting all sorts of grandiloquent stories (as to the prowess 

 displayed during the fight) whilst feasting on the flesh of 

 their poor victims. 



They have no method of commemorating victories, nor do 

 they possess any poems of a. national character, but they 

 have some oral traditions of their origin. 



Infanticide is often practised, and meals are too often 

 made by mothers of their own offspring.' This practice is 

 attributable to laziness principally, for if a mother has two 



