Be 
126 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
—— 
Parrr.— Mr. W. J. Rainbow, F.L.S., read a paper on 
“Primitive Man.: -his. Foods, Medicines and Charms, from 
an Entomological Standpoint.” 
Mr. Srzap.—The President announced that Mr. D. G. Stead, 
following upon the transference of Mr. C. H. Dannevig from 
the N. S. Wales Department of Fisheries to the Federal 
Government Service, had been promoted. ‘The members pre- 
sent, by resolution, unanimously and heartily congratulated 
Mr. ‘Stead. 
TORRES STRAIT. 
(Abstract of a Lecture by Mr. C. Hedley, F.L.S.) 
“Torres Strait” was the subject of a lecture to the Field 
Naturalists by Mr. C. Hedley. Since the first haman popu- 
lation and a large proportion of the fauna and flora entered 
Australia at this point, the Strait might well be termed the 
Gateway of Australia. At no other point does the continent 
so nearly approach the outside world. The lecturer suggested 
that if a series of islands had existed between New Zealand 
and New South Wales, the Maoris would have taken advantige 
of them to reach and colonize Australia, and that the subsequent 
history of Australia would have been influenced. 
» Considering the low state of the Australian aborigines it is 
remarkable that other races of higher civilization did not oust 
them from their heritage. It was shown that a strong fighting 
tribe held the extremity of Cape York, and beat back attempted 
invasions by the Papuans. The national Australian w eapon— 
womera and throwing-spear—delivered a heavier missile at a 
longer range, than did the bamboo bow and arrow of the Papuan 
marauders. Doubtless the prompt,and determined resistance 
offered to Captain Cook by the Cape York natives on the 
occasion of the British annexation was their usual attitude to 
a head-hunting foray of the Torres Islanders. 
’ In contrast to the Australian aborigines, who were merely 
nomad hunters, the Torres Islanders were described as expert 
navigators, successful agriculturalists, keen traders and clever 
mechanics. Originating from the New Guinea coast, they had 
explored, colonized and cultivated the whole archipelago. 
From a geological aspect the Islands fall into three groups. 
Nirstly, the high continental islands, of granitic formation, 
which are practically a continuation of the Cape York Peninsula 
across the Strait. ‘These islands are the peaks of a submerged 
isthmus that in Tertiary times linked the smallest continent to 
the largest island. 
“Wetarrang and parallel to these run a chain of low coral 
islands, or cays, and still further to the east is a group of 
volcanic islands. 
