281 



-station at Cooper's Creek — means " prett}' 



" Perrichirri '- 

 little waterhole.'' 



Mr. A. G. Hall, Assistant Resident Engineei' at Warrina, gave 

 me the following information : — 



A few years ago a native by the name of King killed another 

 blackfellow of the same tribe for committing adulter}- with his 

 wife. 



Another blackfellow of the same tribe killed a white man b\' 

 hitting him with a boomerang on the forehead for committing 

 adultery with his gin. (Compare above, p. 279, with Weaver'.s 

 statement about adultery.) 



THK YUXGA. 



My informant is Wainbret, a native of this tribe, who under- 

 stands English well, and also speaks it fairly. 1 met him at the 

 dam-sinkers' camp, near the Fraser range, and was assured by 

 those who knew liim well that he was thoroughly reliable. 



The Yunga is a costal tribe, the centre of their district being 

 about Esperance Bay. The extent of their territorj' to the east 

 and west T could not correctly ascertain, but they claim the 

 ground inland to about 40 or 50 miles from the coast. 



They are friendly with the neighboring costal tribes, but at 

 feud (or were so) with the Bardoks, whom they despise (accord- 

 ing to my informant) on account of their cannibalism. 



The tribe was very numerous up to the time the measles broke 

 out among them, which must have been between 20 and 2.5 years 

 ago, for Wainbret, whom I take to be about 35 years of age, says 

 that this epidemic made fearful havoii amongst them when he 

 was a young man just getting his beard. Since that time the 

 tribe has not increased in numbers again. 



The Yungas neither circumcise nor practice subincision ; neither 

 do they pierce the septum of the nose, nor knock any of the front 

 teeth out. They are, however, cognisant of these practices exist- 

 ing among the Bardoks. 



Polygamy is unlimited amongst them, but the most have only 

 one or two wives, and seldom more than three. A child girl is 

 frequently allotted to her future husband soon after birth, who 

 helps to procure food for her during her infancy. He takes her 

 entirely into liis charge as soon as she comes to the age of puberty, 

 whicli is about her twelfth year, or when her breasts begin to 

 develop. For this reason it often happens that old men have very 

 young wives. The parents generally receive something in exchange 

 for their daughters, some sort of useful article, but also part with 

 them as a free gift, as they rarely object to let tlie girls go. 

 Should a young man run away with a bespoken girl and they are 

 caught both are killed. This being a well-known and acknow- 

 ledged law such elopements occur very rarely. 



