36 THE ABORIGINES OF THE LOWER MURRAY, LOWER 
Foon. 
As a rule the food of these aborigines consists of fish princi- 
pally, of which, for eight months in the year they have a super- 
abundance ; so "much so indeed is their supply during those 
months they cannot nearly consume it all, consequently quite a 
moiety is absolutely wasted. To supplement the fish they have 
, Opossum, and wallaby; and besides these, aquatic 
wild-fowl of countless variety are found in the greatest profusion 
on the lakes and lagoons ; these latter they capture abundantly, 
aided by nets manufactured for that purpose only ; and during the 
breeding season of these birds they get eggs innumerable, the canoes 
arriving at the camps in the evenings then are literally laden down 
to the water’s edge with no other cargo but eggs ; they are heaped 
up at both ends until there is hardly ~ room for the native to stand 
and paddle. It is of but small moment to them whether the eggs 
have birds in them or not, as they are consumed with a relish 
all the same. A species of flag having a farinaceous root, called 
by the aborigines kwmpung, grows very ; plentifully by the margins 
of all the lakes and lagoons; it makes, even toa European, a very 
palatable and nutritious food ; it can be procured in abundance, 
but as it requires considerable labour to dig it, much less is pro- 
cured than its manifold merits would justify. ‘The flower-stem of 
this flag when it rises through the water in spring is also eaten in 
its raw green state; itis very ‘insipid to European palates, and [fancy 
it contains but a very small modicum of nutritive matter ; how- 
ever the natives are extremely partial to it, t they therefor con sume 
it in great quantities. In sisi green stage the aborigines term it 
jontie. The common small-flowered yellow water lily which so 
plentifully fringes most of the colonial lakes and lagoons, is another 
source from whence they derive a desirable addition to their diet. 
an inch in length, by a diameter of about half an inch : the roots 
of one plant will frequently yield as many tubers as a half-pint 
measure willcontain. They are baked before being eaten, and are 
of a sweet mawkish taste, and not unlike Jerusalem artichokes in 
their meperenty: These tubers are called laboor by the  ahorigias 
some of whi ch a ety ar aa Beagh whilat ole are ound ra 
rubs also of all kinds and sizes are greatly 
insects. 
appieniated by them, more especially the large one common to the 
