243 



several places nearer the coast, and where the goldfields of late 

 years have been discovered, venereal diseases are becoming quite 

 prevalent, and, in many cases, have assumed a most virulent 

 character. 



A considerable number of deformities are found among the 

 Victoria Desert tribe and near the Eraser Range, which, how- 

 ever, are the consequence of accidents, and in most instances, 

 caused during childliood. Only in one instance did it seem 

 likely that the defect was born with the person. Not a single 

 deformed woman was seen, which makes one surmise that if a 

 female child is severely burnt (which must occur proportionately 

 as often as with a male), it is done away with without mercy, 

 Ijut that the male children receive sufficient attention to recover. 

 Why otherwise were female cripples not also met with ? 



In disposition and character these blacks are as variable as 

 Europeans. Cheerful or morose, industrious or lazy, willing and 

 disobliging characters may be discovered among them, and even 

 selfishness I have observed, although this perhaps less than any 

 other fault. Most of them are easy-going, and perhaps lazy, 

 according to a white's idea, but on the other hand I have seen 

 tliem wurk very hard without being much urged. Patience they 

 possess to such a degree that it may almost be called callousness, 

 but their improvidence characterises them perhaps more than any 

 other peculiarity. They are also given to sulk if offended, and 

 will not 1)6 driven to do a thing they oljject to, as far as my 

 experience goes, but jnay be coaxed to do many things In this 

 respect they resemble stubborn and spoiled children very much, 

 which to some extent they are from their infancy. As a rule, 

 the children get things pretty well their own way, and are left 

 to look after themselves a good deal, or to follow the mothers 

 when these go out for food. It is not that the children get their 

 way by crying, for that tliey seemingly rarely do, because I 

 neve?- heard a single sound of the kind, not even from babies. 

 When food is prepared, they either help themselves or get served 

 first, which naturally satisfies them. I never even heard them 

 spoken to in a scolding way. When I had occasion to speak to 

 them sharply — as was the case several times when they became 

 too meddlesome — they sneaked off with a demure face, and 

 generally met me with sulky looks for some time after. When 

 once they are able to run about, the boys are at times much 

 petted by the men, who cheerfully try to amuse them, and 

 caress them. 



It speaks, no doubt, greatly in their favor, that during the 

 whole of our trip not a single thing was stolen from the camps ; 

 only on one occasion, near the Blyth Range, when I was skin- 

 ning a small animal, one of the blacks who was \\-atching me, 



