THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 475 



cavities left by the decaying of the wood, were thus also 

 filled up with a hard pseudo-stalactical stone. The weather 

 is now wearing away the softer parts, and in consequence 

 the hard casts of the roots and branches of the trees project 

 above the surface, and, in a singularly deceptive manner, re- 

 semble the stumps of a dead thicket. 



A large tribe of natives, called the White Cockatoo men, 

 happened to pay the settlement a visit while we were there, i 

 These men, as well as those of the tribe belonging to King 

 George's Sound, being tempted by the offer of some tubs of 

 rice and sugar, were persuaded to hold a "corrobery," or 

 great dancing-party. As soon as it grew dark, small fires 

 were lighted, and the men commenced their toilet, which 

 consisted in painting themselves white in spots and lines. 

 As soon as all was ready, large fires were kept blazing, 

 round which the women and children were collected as spec- 

 tators ; the Cockatoo and King George's men formed two dis- 

 tinct parties, and generally danced in answer to each other. 

 The dancing consisted in their running either sideways or in 

 Indian file into an open space, and stamping the ground with 

 great force as they marched together. Their heavy foot- 

 steps were accompanied by a kind of grunt, by beating their 

 clubs and spears together, and by various other gesticula- 

 tions, such as extending their arms and wriggling their 

 bodies. It was a most rude, barbarous scene, and, to our 

 ideas, without any sort of meaning; but we observed that 

 the black women and children watched it with the greatest 

 pleasure. Perhaps these dances originally represented actions, 

 such as wars and victories; there was one called the Emu 

 dance, in which each man extended his arm in a bent man- 

 ner, like the neck of that bird. In another dance, one man 

 imitated the movements of a kangaroo grazing in the woods, 

 whilst a second crawled up, and pretended to spear him. 

 When both tribes mingled in the dance, the ground trembled 

 with the heaviness of their steps, and the air resounded with 

 their wild cries. Every one appeared in high spirits, and the 

 group of nearly naked figures, viewed by the light of the 

 blazing fires, all moving in hideous harmony, formed a per- 

 fect display of a festival amongst the lowest barbarians. In 

 Tierra del Fuego, we have beheld many curious scenes in 



