416 
On the Aborigines 
accompanied by one or two of the officers, would go out on a 
grand hunting party for two or three weeks, when this slaughter 
would often take place ; nor did experience teach them to alter 
this plan, however much they might suffer by it. They appeared 
much to enjoy the tortures of a wounded bird or beast, nor 
did 1 ever see them put such to death to relieve it from its 
misery. 
Their principal amusement consists in their corrobories or 
dances. These are sometimes held in the day time, but far more 
generally at night: they light a large fire, round which, quite 
naked, they dance, run, and jump, keeping time to their own 
singing, which is far from unmusical. These songs are various, 
each having its own peculiar dance, intended to illustrate some 
action or effect from causes. One is called the kangaroo dance, 
and is, along with some others, most violent; in this the party 
(I have seen as many as ninety joined in one corroborie) com¬ 
mence walking round the fire slowly, singing in a low mono¬ 
tonous tone. After this has continued for some time, they begin 
to get excited, singing in a higher key, walking faster, striking 
their hands upon the ground, and springing high in the air. By 
degrees their walk becomes a run ; their solitary leaps, a series ; 
their singing, perfect shrieking: they close upon the fire, the 
women piling fresh branches upon it. Still leaping in a circle, 
and striking the ground with their hands at every bound, they 
will spring a clear five feet high, so near to the fire, so completely 
in the flames, that you fancy they must be burnt. Excited to 
frenzy, they sing, shriek, and jump, until their frames can stand 
it no longer, and they give up in the uttermost state of exhaus¬ 
tion. Some of their dances are evidently lascivious; some are 
medicine, &c.; though had I not been told by themselves that 
intended to represent making bread, taking such was the case, I 
never should have perceived any analogy. 
Perhaps, between fifty and sixty would be considered old age; 
old “ Huana,” at Perth, is a great grandmother, and I should 
not think that her age exceeded sixty. 
The aborigines certainly use charms, and they wear the 
dead bones of their friends slung round their necks as such. 
