of Van Diemen s Land . 
417 
Those that I have seen, have been most commonly the jaw-bone, 
or the bone of the thigh; as also the skulls of children, the 
latter wrapped up in a skin. These bones are worn by people in 
perfect health, most probably as mementos of deceased relations; 
but if so, they lend them to others of their own tribe when ill, 
who wear them as charms round their "neck. As before men¬ 
tioned, the natives scarify themselves in different parts of the 
body, for the purpose of ornament; I have, however, been in¬ 
formed, that they likewise do so in cases of rheumatism, and 
where they wish to draw out inflammation. 
Pulmonary complaints appear to be by far the most prevalent, 
particularly rapid inflammation of the lungs. Rheumatism is said 
to be common amongst them, as is likewise face-ache. They all 
suffer more or less from scabby sores. In the children these are 
dreadful, and disgusting in the extreme; with them all parts of 
the body are affected : with the adults the sores are more con¬ 
fined to the head : these are doubtless caused by their coarse 
living, aided by their dirty habits. 
When a death occurs in a tribe, they place the body upright 
in a hollow tree, and (having no fixed habitation) pursue their 
avocations. When some time has passed, say a year or upwards, 
they return to the place and burn the body, with the exception 
of the skull; this they carry with them, until they chance (for I 
do not think that they lose time in seeking it) to fall in with a 
cemetery, in which a number of skulls are heaped together, when 
they add the one with them to the number, and cover them up 
with bark, leaves, &c. They do not bury them in the ground. I 
have never been able to ascertain that they put either weapons or 
food in the tree with the dead. 
It is hard to conceive that they have no idea of a future state, 
particularly as such is so contrary to the general belief of other 
savage nations; and yet from every enquiry, both from them¬ 
selves and from whites most conversant with them, I have never 
been able to ascertain that such a belief exists. It is extremely 
difficult however to arrive at the truth, as those who have had the 
slightest connection with the whites, will tell you what they have 
