110 FIND A HUMAN SKULL. 



direction^ — yet, with two exceptions, they are to be 

 seen in every collection in Europe. 



As usual we found pientiiul remains of recent 

 turtle feasts. One of the boat's crew, not over- 

 stocked with brains, dxuing- his rambles picked up 

 a human skull with portions of the flesh adhering'. 

 Accidentally learning this from the conversation of 

 the men at our bivouac during- supper, inquiry was 

 made, when we found that he iad foolishly thrown 

 it into the sea, nor could it be found during a 

 subsequent search. I was anxious to determine 

 whether it was aboriginal or not. On the one hand, 

 the natives of aU parts of Austraha usually evince 

 the strongest desire to bury or conceal their own 

 dead ; on the other, there might have been some 

 connexion between the skiill and the remains of a 

 hut of European construction, portions of clothing, 

 a pair of shoesy some tobacco, and fragments of a 

 whale boat seen here. — But all is niere conjecture. 



August 14dh. — After leaving Lizard Island, we 

 passed to the southward of No. III. of the Howick 

 Isles, and anchored off the N.W. extremity of No. 

 I. in 6|: fathoms, mud. This is the largest of a 

 group of about ten islands, which agree in being 

 low, and covered for the most part with mangroves. 

 No. I., however, is distinguished by having three 

 bare hillocks at its south-eastern end, the central 

 one of which forms a rather conspicuous peak. A 

 party of natives was there seen watching our move- 

 ments, but no communication with them was at- 



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