52 
HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
dexterity is shown in their use as well as a remarkable discrimination in 
determining whether the animals are at home or not. When obtained, furred 
animals are roasted, or rather half roasted, in the ashes in their skins, and 
everything is eaten. Large bones are broken and the marrow extracted 
Many, if not all kinds of birds are also eaten, and of these the emu, from its 
size, may be reckoned the most important in this respect. It, like the kangaroo, is 
also often captured by spearing at the soakages or waterholes. At the Tarn of 
Auber, Glen Edith, we saw a pile of stones that had been erected to serve as a 
ambush for this purpose. In certain parts they are, however, not unfrequently 
caught by poisoning with pitchuri (Duboisia Hopivoodii). A bunch of the leaves 
and twigs of this plant is placed in a small watei'hole, or, if it be a large one, into 
a limited portion of it, which is dammed off from the remainder, access to the main 
body of water being in such a case prevented by a brush fence. On drinking the 
water thus poisoned the birds become stupid and dizzy—“ all same drunk ” as the 
blacks put it—when they ai-e easily killed. 
Nestling birds are considered dainties, as also all kinds of eggs, especially 
those of the emu and native pheasant or mallee hen (Leipoa ocellata), which from 
their size or number afford a good supply of nourishment. 
Our guide, “ Harry,” stated that his tribe did not eat pelicans, but I could 
not get any satisfactory confirmation of this reasonable exception, when considered 
from a gastronomic point of view. 
So far as I could learn, almost all kinds of lizards are eaten, especially the 
larger forms mentioned in the report on Reptilia. So also snakes, though, accord¬ 
ing to Mr. Schulze, the poisonous varieties are rejected. 
The large waterholes supply several varieties of fish, which are caught by 
forming a cordon across the hole and frightening them by noise and splashings into 
a shallow circumscribed end. Mr. Gillen informs me that they are also taken by 
spearing with a light unbarbed spear rounded at the point. From a man at Owen’s 
Springs, I acquired a small fish-hook made of thin iron wire to which was attached 
about ten feet of line composed of two untwisted strands of very thin fur string, 
but I cannot say whether the art of line fishing is indigenous to Central Australia, 
or has only been learned from the whites. Fish-hooks, however, of native manu¬ 
facture, made of wood, bone or tortoise-shell, are described fi-om Victoria and 
Queensland (“Aborigines of Victoria,” R. Brough Smyth). Poison is not used. 
