INTELLECTUAL CHARACTERS. 245 



remarkable, the tbrowing-stiek for darting the spear, 

 and the well-known weapon, called the boomerang. 

 The latter is quite peculiar to the Australians, but 

 something like the throwing-stick is, I believe, 

 known among the Esquimaux. Neither have ever 

 been mentioned as met with among any Papuan race. 

 The customs of knocking out one or two front teeth 

 and of raising great scars or cicatrices on the skin, 

 so universal among the Australians, are not known 

 among the Papuan race, so far as I am aware. The 

 reason or object of these customs I have never heard 

 explained. 



The Australian intellect seemed to me, from my 

 intercourse with them, and with those who knew 

 them well, to be chiefly deficient in the reflecting 

 and inventing faculties, in the capacity for forming 

 abstract ideas, and reasoning upon them ; the per- 

 ceptive faculties, on the contrary, were often very 

 acute, being sharpened by constant practice. In all 

 objects of sense, the Australians are quick at receiv- 

 ing and tenacious in retaining instruction ; they 

 would make tolerable mechanics, and are said to 

 readily learn to read and write, of which I have no 

 doubt, and they would easily get off by rote a num- 

 ber of answers to questions on religious or other 

 subjects. I do not believe, however, that they had 

 in any instance, really formed any adequate ideas 

 answering to the words they used, or that hardly 

 one among them could be found capable of compre- 

 hending them. They are very ready also in pene- 



