HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
51 
existence by promiscuity or communal marriage amongst the Australians. Again, 
without entering fully into this discussion, I may state that the only actual 
evidence personally elicited, which might be taken to have a bearing upon the 
point, was. to the.effect that, after the ceremonies connected with circumcision, a 
promiscuous interchange of lubras takes place. I am bound to say that the 
evidence on which this statement is based is not absolutely reliable as regards the 
Arunta tribe,* but Mr. Horn, who has had a long and intimate acquaintance with 
the tribes‘Rbout Streaky Bay on the west coast of the Port Lincoln Peninsula, 
informs nie* that such promiscuous intercourse, often carried to a revolting extent, 
undoubtedly takes place on similar occasions amongst the natives of that locality. 
^Some facts related by Mr. Gillen may be also regarded from the same 
stamlpoint. How far they may be rightly used as arguments in favour of the 
theory of promiscuity is another matter which cannot be discussed here; I 
merely mention them as possibly having a bearing upon a liighly interesting and 
important question which has been the subject of much discussion. 
Native Foods. 
(a) Animal. 
There are few living animals that come amiss to the Central Australian 
aborigine. To mention the names of all that are eaten would be largely to 
recapitulate the zoology of the district and I believe entirely so in the case of the 
mammalian fauna. In the hilly country the ^uro (Afacropus robustus) the 
Rock Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis) are fairly abundant but, I believe, scarcer 
now than formerly, and though throughout the Horn Expedition we saw compara¬ 
tively few of the Great Red Kangaroo (Macropus riifus) on my previous journey 
these were numerous on the plains both to the north and south of the McDonnell 
Ranges. 
The most frequent method of capture of the large marsupials is by lying 
concealed at a waterhole and spearing them as they come in to drink, or they may 
be driven into an ambush by organised parties, or run down with their packs of 
mongrel dogs. The dingo itself is eaten. Besides the larger kangaroos and 
wallabies there are various smaller marsupials which are obtained either by 
tiring the porcupine grass {Triodia') and so driving them towards a given 
point, where they are speared or knocked on the head, or by digging them 
out of their holes. The latter operation is done with “ yam-sticks,” and great 
8a 
u. 8LL L?n. 
