86 R. H. MATHEWS. 



trial and plural, we may safely infer that lie did not observe 

 it. The verbs of these languages are inflected for singular, 

 dual, trial and plural, the same as the pronouns. Nouns, 

 adjectives, prepositions, etc., are also declined for number 

 and person, as in the Tyattyalla language. 



The Thaguwurru Language. 



The Tlmguwurru and kindred tribes occupied the country 

 drained by the Goulburn, Oampaspe, and Ovens rivers, 1 

 exclusive of a strip along the valley of the Murray, and 

 were bounded on the south by the main dividing range. 

 For the grammar of the languages of the Murray River 

 tribes, the reader is invited to peruse other articles written 

 by me on this subject. 



Nouns. 

 Number. — Nouns have four numbers, as in the Tyattyalla. 

 Mariim, a kangaroo. Marum-bulain, a pair of kangaroos. 

 Muriim-baip, three kangaroos. Marum-buladhuin, several 

 kangaroos. 



Gender. — Kulin, a man. Bedyur, a woman. Yernyern, 

 a youth. Burnai, a girl. Bubup, a child of either sex. 

 In animals the female is denoted by babannu, and the male 

 by laigurn; thus, burraimul babannu, an emu hen ; burrai- 

 mul laigurn, a cock emu ; mariim laigurn, a buck kangaroo 

 Bunyer means a doe of any animal when enceinte. 



Case. — The nominative-simple indicates any object at 

 rest, as wangim, a boomerang ; yirrangin, a dog. Gannan, 

 a yamstick. Kargin, a tomahawk. The nominative-agent 

 represents the subject in action, as, Kulindya walert tyilbai, 

 a man an opossum struck. Yirrangina mariim bundai, a 

 dog a kangaroo bit. Bedyura yok bangai, a woman an eel 



1 " The Victorian Aborigines, etc." — American Anthropologist, xi., pp. 

 326 - 330, with map of Victoria. 



