284 



beeome a mothei'— a fre(iuent cause of infanticide among civilized 



people. 



The fear of over-population (?) seems to preponderate more 

 amongst these tribes than witli most of the other Australian 

 natives, for here, besides the peculiar rite they practise in 

 common with them, they remove the nipples of the breasts of 

 many women to prevent them suckling, a practice I have not pre- 

 viously heard of. 



It appears almost paradoxical in the face of these statements 

 to assert that women in confinement are carefully tended, but 

 this is not the only contradiction that may be observed in the 

 life and the habits of this peculiar and in many respects incom- 

 prehensible race. 



When a woman is about to give birth to a cliild she is taken 

 away from the men, and is attended by another woman, gener- 

 ally an old one, who looks after her for several weeks and finds 

 food for her. During this time of seclusion in a specially erected 

 maimai the men must not come near her. 



No special seclusion is observed b)- the women during the time 

 of their menses. 



Polygamy is unlimited, but probably there are no men found 

 with more than three wives. They generally cohabit with one 

 of them for a time, and change to another as fancy moves them. 

 Jealousy does not seem to exist to any great extent in either sex. 

 The blackfellow does not like to see tlie woman with whom he is 

 cohabiting at the time go astray or interfered with. About his 

 other ones he does not trouble much, and may perhaps lend them 



out. 



A black that worked at the station during my stay had the 

 loan of a woman from another black wiio had gone away to some 

 distant place, and she absorbed all his affection for the time— in 

 fact, almost beyond the usual custom, for he did not even make 

 her work, and scarcely allowed her to go out hunting. His other 

 two women had to bring the food, supplied to them by the station 

 owners, to their camp at night, where all four would partake of 

 it together in the best of harmony.^ 



All men are circumcised and subincised. 



The rite of circumcision is always performed first, at the time 

 when the young man is getting a beard. The other rite is per- 

 foi'med about a year after. The length of the incision varies, but 

 it is often the whole length of the organ. The most painful of 

 these operations is the circumcision, but the healing of it is 

 quicker than the other. To stop the bleeding and to assist the 

 healing the down of some emu feathers is placed on the wounds. 



These rites are always perforuied in secret, and no white man, 

 as far as I could ascertain, has ever been allowed to witness 



