OR, PLA.fR TEACHIHG. 



63 



flower-stalk, in every way having the form and 

 structure of the bulrush. From the bush-fires 

 which sweep through the country, the crooked 

 stems of these plants are almost always scorched 

 black, so that, in the distance, they have very 

 much the appearance of an Ab-rogine crouching 

 down. That the natives know this to be the 

 case has been often shown in instances where 

 they have been pursued by the mounted police 

 and squatters, after some murder or depreda- 

 tion. In order to avoid pursuit, the more cun- 

 ning amongst them would twist their bodies in 

 a contorted manner, and stano immovable until 

 their pursuers had passed, unless the hounds 

 u>ed upon these occasions should scent them 

 out. The explorer, in passing through a coun- 

 try inhabited by hostile natives, frequently 

 takes these trees in the distance to be groups 

 <>f black men. When torn up by the root, 

 after these frequent burnings, a quantity of 

 resinous gum is gathered, winch has been found 

 useful in manufacturing varnishes. The na- 

 tives use this to fasten on the barbs of their 

 spears, made from fishes' teeth or broken 

 pieces of flint. 



At the south extremity of Aus- 

 tralia lies Van Diemarfs Land, 

 the natives of which are identical 

 with those of Australia. Here 

 are those magnificent forests of 



10 



287. 



^ fern-trees, 19, so vividly de- 

 scribed by Humboldt. 



Of ferns, we have in England about forty 

 species, none of which exceed three or four fees 

 in height ; of all the forms of tropical vegeta- 

 tion, these and bamboos most excite admiration. 

 In their aspect the tree ferns resemble the 

 palms. Their stems are generally black, as if 

 burnt with the sun ; their leaves of a bright and 

 delicate green, beautifully crisped at the edge. 

 The forests consist principally of these tree-like 

 ferns, pines, and different kinds ot evergreens, 

 which have a sombre olive hue, with nothing 

 but the rosy colour of the native cherry to 

 break the monotony. There are some beauti- 

 ful specimens of fern trees in Kew Gardens, 

 and the Crystal Palace. 



Again, we find ourselves within 4£P and 50' 

 south latitude. We will now bear to the east, 

 through the waters of the South Pacific Ocean, 

 and there we shall find Kew Zealand, and the 

 multitude of islands scattered over the vast 

 expanse of the Pacific, con 'titu ing the divi- 

 sion of the globe called Polynesia^ o herwise 

 Oceania, 225. 



The islands of New Zealand 

 are of volcanic formation, thrown 

 up amid the waters of the mighty 

 deep by the internal fires of the 

 earth. In the neighbourhood of 

 Auckland, within sight of the 

 town, are thirty extinct craters, 

 from 100 to 400 feet high. Shocks 

 of earthquakes are frequently felt 

 in these islands. Here the na- 

 tives are altogether a different 

 race from the aborigines of the 

 Australian continent. 



They exhibit in their natural condition, the 

 finest specimen of a savage race. They are 

 tall, well-formed, and muscular, with a com- 

 plexion which varies in shade from an olive or 

 copper-coloured hue to a dark brown. Their 

 features are often very pleasing, animated, and 

 intelligent; their hair glossy, black, and curling. 

 Some of the tribes, however, manifest an in- 

 ferior type. Their dress is formed of leaves, 

 split into slips, and woven into a kind of mat. 

 ting. One piece of this matting being tied 

 over the shoulders reaches to the knees ; the 

 other being wrapped round the waist, falls 

 almost to the ground. The women are less 

 anxious about dress than the men, neither 

 adorning their hair with feathers, nor tying in 

 knots. The ears of both sexes are bored. The 

 ornaments of their ears are feathers, cloth, 

 bones, and sometime-* bits of w r ood. They 

 likewise hang to their ears, by strings, chisels, 

 bodkins, the teeth of dogs, and the teeth and 

 nails of their deceased fri< nds. They a e can- 

 nibals, and delight in eating the flesh of their 

 enemies. Such was the state in which Captain 

 -ok found them, but since that tune many of 

 hem have adopted the habits of the European 

 settlers. Those dwelling in the white settle- 

 ments have for the most part been converted 

 t • Christianity. 



Their native villages, or palis, 

 1, are extensive collections of 

 huts, often strongly fortified with 

 palisades. In wet districts they 

 raise their houses upon posts, 2, 

 and over the doors of their prin- 

 cipal buildings are placed rudely 

 carved figures of their deities, 3, 



