2S4 
NORTH AtTSTaAllA. 
tremcly particular in my inquiries with regard to the 
origin of this custom^ and I can confidently state that it 
waa not derived from the Macassars, the latter affirming 
that it existed previous to the commencement of their 
interct)urse with the coast. Indeed this singular custom 
is not confined to the tribes of the north*w<st horn of the 
Gulf of Carpentaria. Flinders observed a case upon the 
Wellesley Islands, and the custom is also prevalent among 
the natives of certain parts of the south coast of At^- 
trolia. It will be difficultj, jyerhaps impossible, to discover 
now the origin of this custom. I shonld observe that a 
pecubar formation prevails among the aborigines of this 
part of Australia, and also of the adjacent coast of New 
Guinea, which renders the practice exceedingly conducive 
to comfort and health. 
" The western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, as far to 
the south as Limmcn Bight, appears to he wcU peopled ; 
but beyond thisj as far as the head of the Gulf, the 
natives are few and scattered. Here, indeed, the means 
of subsistence are not very abundant. The mud-banl^, 
which extend far out to sea, render it difficult to obtain a 
supply of fish ; and vegetable productions suited for food 
do not seem to be very plentiful, probably from the 
nature of the soil (a comparatively recent alluvial deposit) 
being unfavourable to the growth of the wild yam, or, 
possibly, it has not yet bad time to extend itself over 
the face of the country. 
''I have observed that upon the northern coasts of 
Australia, the amount of the population upon a certain 
tract of country, is great or small in proportion to the 
