262 THE ABOBIGIITES OF ATTSTBALIA. 



pieces of wood, passed through a hole in the cartilage of the nose. 

 These I afterwards learned were persons of some consideration in the 

 tribe, men of distinction, who sported this conspicuous badge with 

 no small degree of ostentation. The hole is pierced through the 

 nose when the individual is young, and for the following purpose. 

 The tribe wish to communicate with the neighboring tribes on some 

 particular subject, or to send a complimentary message of peace and 

 goodwill to those around them. The chosen messenger is a boy 

 between 12 and 15 years of age; but before starting on his embassage, 

 it is necessary that the individual thus honored undergo the operation 

 of having his nose bored. This is performed with a small bone of 

 the kangaroo, sharpened and made almost red hot, which being 

 forced through the cartilage just below the nostrils is there allowed 

 to remain until the wound heals. But in the mean time the boy 

 proceeds on his mission, and as long as the wound remains unhealed 

 his person is held sacred, and he is treated with the greatest friend- 

 ship and respect wherever he makes his appearance. On starting he 

 is accompanied by one or two of his relatives or friends as far as the 

 next tribe, in whose charge he is left ;— remaining some short time 

 with these, he is passed on to the next tribe in the same way ; and 

 so on until all the tribes have been visited, when he is returned to 

 his people in like manner from tribe to tribe. By this time the 

 hole in the nose is pretty well healed, but the bone, or something else 

 of the kind, continues to be worn by way of ornament and as a mark 

 of distinguished services. The same description of ornament is 

 mentioned by Cook as existing amongst the South Sea Islanders, and 

 to it our sailors gave the not inappropriate designation of " sprit- 

 sail yard." It wuuld appear, indeed, that this barbarous fashion 

 of disfiguring the body, in order to decorate it in some such way, 

 is common to many nations. The aborigines of Australia, and the 

 South Sea Islanders have their " sprit-sail yard," others have their 

 nose-ring, whilst the negress of Africa, and the refined and intel- 

 lectual female of Europe, have their ears pierced to receive the not 

 less becoming and useful ear-ring;. But whether it be the bone in 

 the nose of the Australian, or the ring in the ear of the English woman, 

 the custom is the same, and equally civilized or equally barbarous. 



In speaking of ornamentation I have to mention another and no 

 less barbarous method of the Australians for beautifying their 

 persons. I allude to the custom amongst the men of lacerating their 

 bodies in order to produce long welts or protrusions of the skin. 

 This is done with a sharp stone or flint, and the incisions are made 

 on the breast, shoulders, and upper part of the arms ; they vary in 



