th o u g h t th e cord fu ffic ien tly d eadened, and th en w ith a fltell Ihe fe-
• parated it * .
T h e in fant th us p rod u c ed is b y th e m o th e r carried ab ou t fo r fome
► d a y s on a p ie ce o f fo ft b a r k ; an d , as fo on as it acquires ftren g th
en o u g h , is rem o ved to he r fh ou ld e rs , w h e r e it fits w i th its little legs
acrofs h e r n e c k ; an d , ta u g h t b y n e ce ffity , fo on catches h o ld o f h e r
h a ir to p re fe rv e it fe lf from fa llin g .
T h e red d ilh c a ll o f th e fk in fo on g iv e s place to th e n a tu ra l'h u e ,
a ch a n g e th a t is m u ch affifted b y the fin o k e and dirt in 'w h i c h , fro n t
th e m om en t o f th e ir e x iften c e , th e fe c h i ld r e n . are nurtured . T h e
parents b e g in e a r ly to d ecora te th em after1 ithe cu ftom Of the co u n t ry .
A s fo on as th e h a ir o f the head can be tak en h o ld o f, filh-bon e s and
th e teeth o f animals are fattened to it w i th - gum . W h i te qlay ornam
e n t s th e ir little l im b s ; and th e females Juffer th e e x tra o rd in a ry
am p uta tion w h ic h th e y term m a l-g u n before th e y h a v e quitted th e ir
feat on th e ir m o th e r ’ s fhoulders'. ■
In ab out a mon th o r f ix w e e k s th e ch ild re ce ive s it s name. T h i s is
g en e r a lly ta k en from fome o f th e objed is co n ftan tly b e fo re th e ir e y e s ,
fu ch as a b ird , a beaft, o r a filh , and is g iv e n w i th o u t a n y ce rem o n y .
T h u s B en n illo n g ’ s ch ild D ilb o o n g w a s fo named after a fm all b ird ,
w h ic h w e o ften heard in lo w wet, grou n d s a n d in cop ies. A n e ld e r ly
w om a n w h o o c c a fio n a lly v ifited us w a s named M a u -b e r - r y , th e te rm
b y w h ic h th e y d iftin gu ifh th e g u rn e t from o th e r filh; B en r iilton g
to ld m e , h is name was that o f a la rg e filh , b u t o n e th a t I n e v e r faw
tak en . B a l- lo o -d e r - r y fign ified th e filh n am ed b y us th e le a the rn-
ja c k e t ; and the re w e r e tw o g irls in th e tow n named P a t-y e -g a - ran g ,
a co r ru p tion o f P a t- ta -g o -ran g , th e name o f the la rg e g r e y k a n g o o ro o .
O th e r inftances m ig h t be adduced ; b u t the fe are fuffic ient to Ih ow th e
p re v a len c e o f th e cu ftom.
A t an e a r ly age th e females w e a r ro u n d the w a if t a fmall lin e made
o f the tw itted h air o f th e o p o ffum , from the centre o f w h ic h d epend
a few fmall u n e v en lines from tw o to f iv e inche s lo n g , made o f th e
fam e materials. T h is th e y term b a r - r in , and w e a r it u n til th e y are
g r o w n in to w om en and are attached to men.
* I here find in my papers a note, that for fome offence Bennillbng had feverely beaten
this woman in the morning, a ftiort time before Ihe was delivered.
T h e
T h e u n io n o f th e fe x e s takes place at an ear lier p e r iod than is ufual
in co ld e r region s . W e h a v e k n ow n fe v e ral inftances o f v e r y y o u n g
g ir ls h a v in g been m u ch and lh am e fu lly abufed b y th e males.
F rom th e ir earlieft in fa n c y the b o y s are ac cuftomed to th row in g
the lp ea r , and to th e hab it o f d e fen d in g th em fe lv e s from it. T h e y
b e g in b y th row in g reeds at each o th e r , and are fo on v e r y ex p e r t.
T h e y alfo; from the time w h en th e y can ru n , un til p rom p ted b y manho
od to rea lize th e ir fports, amufe th em fe lv e s w i th Healing th e fem ale s,
and treat th em at this time v e r y little w o r fe than th e y do then.
A m o n g th e ir ju v e n ile ex e rc ife s I o b fe iv ed th a t o f th r ow in g up a b a ll,
and p a flin g it from one to an o th e r . T h e y alfo p rov id e them fe lv e s w ith
fmall flick s , and range th em fe lv e s in a r o w , w h en th e one at th e u p pe r
end rolls a ball or a n y o th e r roun d fubftance a lon g th e fron t o f his com p
an io n s , e v e r y o n e o f w h om endeavours to ftr ik e it as it paffes. T h is
is a fa v o u r ite e x e rc ife w i th th em , and o f cou rfe th e y e x c e l at it.
B e tw e e n th e ages o f e ig h t and fix te en , th e males and females
u n d e rg o th e opera tion w h ic h th e y term G n a b -n o o n g , v i z . th a t o f h a v in
g th e feptum naß bo red , to re c e iv e a bone o r re ed , w h ic h am o n g th em
is deemed a grea t o rn am en t, th o u g h I h a v e feen m a n y w h o fe a r ticula
tio n w a s th e reb y rendered v e r y im p e r fe ft. B e tw e en th e fame y e a rs
alfo th e males re c e iv e th e qualifications w h ic h are g iv e n to them b y
lo fin g one o f th e fro n t teeth.- T h i s c e r em o n y o ccurred tw ic e d u r in g
m y refidence in N ew S o u th W a le s ; and in th é fecond o p e ra tion I w a s
fo rtun a te en o u g h to attend th em d u r in g th e w h o le o f the tim e , attended
b y a pe rfon w e ll qua lified to m ake d raw in g s o f e v e r y p a r ticu la r
c ircum ftan ce th a t occurred . A remarkable co in c id en ce o f tim e w a s
noticed as to th e feafon in w h ic h it to o k place,. I t w a s firft p e rformed
in the b e g in n in g o f th e mon th o f F e b ru a ry 1 7 9 1 ; and e x a d tly at the
fame p e r io t r in th e y e a r 1 7 9 5 the fe con d ope ra tion occurred . A s th e y
h a v e not a n y id ea o f numbers b e y o n d th re e , and o f courfe h a v e n o
regular com putation o f tim e , this can o n ly be afcribed to ch an ce , particu
la r ly as th e fea fon cou ld n o t h a v e m u ch fhare in th e ir cho ice,
F e b ru a ry ’ b e in g one o f the h o t months.
O n the 2 5 th o f J an u a ry 1 7 9 5 w e fo u n d th a t th e natives w e re aflem-
b lin g in numbers fo r th e p u rp o fe o f p e r fo rm in g th is ce rem o n y . S e v e ral
y o u th s w e l l k n ow n am o n g us, n e v e r h a v in g fubmitted to the
4 0 2 o p e ra tion ,