10 THEIR TREATMENT BY THE MEN, 



and kindness. Several instances of this kind of 

 barbarity came under my own notice. Piaquai 

 (before mentioned) when spoken to about his wife 

 whom he had killed a fortnight before in a fit of 

 passion, seemed much amused at the idea of having' 

 got rid of her unborn child at the same time. One 

 morning- at Cape York, Paida did not keep his 

 appointment with me as usual ; on making inquiry, 

 I found that he had been squabbling with one of his 

 wives a few minutes before, about some trifle, and 

 had speared her through the hip and groin. On 

 expressing my disapproval of what he had done, 

 adding that white men never acted in that manner, 

 he turned it off by jocularly observing that although 

 / had only one wife, he had two, and could easily 

 spare one of them. As a further proof of the low 

 condition of the women, I may state that it is upon 

 them that the only restrictions in eating particular 

 sorts of food are imposed. Many kinds of fish, 

 including some of the best, are forbidden on the 

 pretence of their causing disease in women, although 

 not injurious to the men. The hawksbill turtle and 

 its eggs are forbidden to women suckHng, and no 

 female, until beyond child bearing, is permitted to 

 eat of the Torres Strait pigeon. 



Among other pieces of etiquette to be practised 

 after marriage among both the Kowraregas and 

 Gudangs, a man must carefully avoid speaking to 

 or even mentioning the name of his mother-in-law, 

 and his wife acts similarly with regard to her 



