CEBEMONIES BEL AT IN G TO THE DEAD . 207 
rubbish in such out-of-the-way places ; for it would 
seem the wildest romance to believe that it could 
have been done by birds that are not much larger 
than the ordinary turkey. 
Sept. 8th . — This morning left the anchorage, steam- 
ing through Endeavour Straits, and so had our last 
sight of Australia. Later in the day we hove-to 
off Hammond Island. Several landed, all well-armed 
with rifles, &c., so as to be prepared for any treachery 
of the natives; but they kept out of sight, and we 
walked about unmolested through the woods, collect- 
ing botanical specimens and shooting the few birds 
that were seen. While roaming about near the beach, 
we saw some of the natives’ graves, and were 
informed that they have some peculiar ceremonies 
relating to the disposal of their dead. After death 
it seems the remains are kept with the tribe until 
decomposition sets in, when the bones are carefully 
removed, painted red, and wrapped in bark ; they 
are then, with some ceremony, deposited in the 
grave, which consists of a mound of sand around 
which a trench is dug. A stout post is fixed upright 
at each of the four corners, and the sides are usually 
ornamented with large shells, skulls, and bones 
of the dugong. Evidences were not wanting here 
that a camp of the natives had been but recently 
broken up ; and as the day advanced, it was decided 
to return on board, for the vessel had anchored a few 
miles off, after having had an afternoon’s dredging. 
