VARIETIES OF FOOD AND METHODS OF OBTAINING IT. 113 



will draw out some of the down between his finger and thumb, 

 working it on his thigh with finely powdered pipe clay and making 

 two minute shaped balloons x ° of down. These he places length- 

 ways on the little flat stick, and then takes the two little down 

 balloons between the thumb and second finger and watches the bee 

 closely while it is collecting rosin. As soon as he sees that the insect 

 has nearly loaded, he adjusts the two balloons with great slight of 

 hand, and thereupon some of the young men and gins, but not the 

 whole party, immediately give chase to the bee which goes in a 

 straight line to its hive, often times situated at some distance. 

 There are generally three or four relays of aborigines waiting at 

 the feathering, so that there may be several hunting parties going 

 in different directions at the same time. It is possible however 

 that a large dragon fly may pounce on the bee and spoil the run. 

 The introduced European bee is very easily found, since in dry 

 weather by sitting by a waterhole from whence you can observe 

 in which direction the bees fly, and by using a pocket compass it 

 is possible to walk straight to the hive. The bumble bee 3 carries 

 a round pellet of pollen and honey about the size of a small marble 

 found in separate partitions about two inches long inside the grass 

 tree or dead stick in which the young grub exists. This is also 

 found by the aborigines by eyesight. 



With regard to fishing, it will be necessary to mention the 

 name of the fish that principally inhabit the Western Water com- 

 mencing with the Murray cod 1 1 , and then for instance yellow- 

 bellied perch 1 2 , jew or cat fish 13 , bream x 4 , small speckled perch J 5 . 

 A hand net is most in use 16 , another variety is a net about two 

 or three yards long, oblong in shape 16 , but this latter one is fre- 

 quently used as a drag-net, as well as in another fashion. I 

 enjoyed a month's fishing some thirty years ago, wandering down 

 one of the Western rivers that fall into the Murray, living as an 

 aboriginal, as was my wont when out of my country or beat 1 7 of my 

 tribe, when I suddenly came on a large camp of aborigines. They 

 unfortunately did not understand my dialect, so that I found 

 myself in rather disagreeable quarters ; though I knew they were 

 a mixture of Wallerii, Cumilii, and Wirragarii, as soon as I heard 

 them speak. My first proceeding was to sit down in the approved 

 style and hold my peace. On looking round I saw they were 

 camped by a fall in the river, and that they had heaps of fish 

 roasted round their fire. By and by when we began to converse 

 by signs and other means, they produced a gin that could speak 

 Ucumble indifferently, so I had to tell them all the news such as 

 where I had come from. I noticed that some of the gins and all 

 the black fellows were very busy twisting up Korygong bark and 

 making nets. Being myself exceeding fond of fishing, and from 

 my childhood an excellent netter I at once let them see I could 



H— August 6, 1890. 



