“I HAVE no reason (says Davies, p. 412) to suppose that infanticide existed amongst the aborigines in their former wild state; there is little doubt, however, but that it was common of later years, driven to it, as they in all probability were, by the continued harassing of the whites, … dogs became so extremely valuable to them, that the females have been known to desert their infants for the sake of suckling the puppies.” Laplace's words are very similar (II. ch. xviii. pp. 201-202): “The women are only too happy if … the little beings, who owe to them their birth, are not snatched from their arms; for, in the times of dearth, to which, through a too dry or too wet year, these savages, who are completely destitute of foresight, are exposed, it frequently happens that the children are abandoned in the middle of the woods, because their father dreads hunger, or prefers to keep the dog which aids him in hunting down the game.” Chas. Meredith (pp. 201-202) attributes infanticide to somewhat different causes: “The disappearance of all the young children among the natives compels us to the inference that they were destroyed, doubtless on account of the difficulty of conveying them about in the rapid flights from place to place which the blacks now practised in the perpetration of their murders.

THE following accounts describe the method of wearing the hair. Anderson (Cook's third Voy. Bk. I. ch. vi.) says ‘Their hair is perfectly woolly and clotted, or divided into small parcels, with the use of some sort of grass, mixed with a red paint or ochre, which they smear on their heads,” and Backhouse (p. 78), “The men clotted their hair with red ochre and grease; and had the ringlets drawn out like rat tails.” According to Davies, “The men allow their hair to grow very long, matting each lock separately with grease and ochre.” Judging from drawings, etc., the V. D. L men appear to have dressed their hair into thin spiral ringlets about three to four inches long, and described as follows by various travellers. Marion speaks of it being tied in knots–pelotons (p. 28). “The men allowed their hair to grow very long, and plastered it all over very thickly with a composition of red ochre and grease, and when it dried a little their locks hung down so as to resemble a bundle of painted ropes,” (Calder J. A. I. p. 20). While Backhouse says (p. 79): “The men clotted their hair with red ochre and grease, and had the ringlets drawn out like rat-tails.”

THEY were of wandering habits, yet they seldom advanced beyond the boundaries which marked their own respective possessions–their place of encampment depended on the food they had obtained in hunting or fishing–as it was their custom to make their sojourn where they procured their prey and took their last meal” (Melville, p. 346). Furneaux (Cook's Sec. Voy. Bk. I. ch. vii.) thought they were nomadic: “They lie on the ground, on dried grass; and I believe they have no settled habitation (as their houses seemed built only for a few days), but wander about in small parties from place to place, in search of food, and are actuated by no other motive. We never found more than three or four huts in a place, capable of containing three or four persons each only.” The following extracts from Rossel (I. ch. iii. p. 51; ch. iv. pp. 69 and 82) confirm Furneaux's supposition: “I found near the stream the remains of some encampments of the natives of the country. The oyster-shells and limpets, pieces of burnt wood, and the down-trodden grass near, assured me that they had stayed there.… At a short distance from the shore, three huts, which were abandoned, made us think that the natives of the country came to live on this little island during certain seasons of the year.

AT one time, the natives were said not to have known the art of making fire! Calder declares (J.A.I, pp. 19-20): “They were ignorant of any method of procuring fire.” His statement (p. 32) that “no amount of friction could possibly ignite the woods of this colony” is incorrect, as we shall see directly; although the ignition could probably only be produced in hot dry weather. Dove makes a similar statement, only he uses more words to say it in (I. p. 250), and Backhouse (p. 99) “learned that the aborigines of V. D. Land had no artificial method of obtaining fire, before their acquaintance with Europeans; they say they obtained it first from the sky–probably meaning by lightning.” Furneaux reports to have found in one of the huts (Cook's Sec. Voy. Bk. I. ch. vii.) “the stone they strike fire with, and tinder made of bark, but of what tree could not be distinguished.” La Billardiere (I. ch. v. p. 222) met with baskets containing “pieces of flint and fragments of the bark of a tree as soft as the best tinder. These savages, undoubtedly procure themselves fire by striking two pieces of flint together.” Mortimer relates (p. 20) that in some of the baskets were a few flints and stones, and a little dried grass; from which circumstance I conclude they produce fire by collision.”

TASMANIA, formerly known as Van Dieman's Land, is situated between parallels of 40°33′ and 43°39′ S. Lat., and between 144°39′ and 144°23′ Meridians E. Long, and corresponds with Southern France. It is irregularly heart-shaped and occupies an area of 26,215 square miles; nearly the area of Scotland. The main axis of the Great Cordillera bordering the eastern coast line of Australia may be traced across Bass Strait in a chain of islands, which almost continuously link Tasmania with Australia. Tasmania is wholly occupied with the ramifications of this chain which in the western half of the island rises into an extensive plateau with peaks attaining a height of 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. The island is beautiful in its scenery, with its open plains bordered by far extending precipitous mountain tiers, its isolated shaggy peaks and wooded ranges, and its many fine rivers and lakes. Its coasts, especially towards the south, are bold and frequently indented by splendid bays and harbours, such as the Derwent on which stands Hobart the Capital. On the western side the scenery resembles that of the Highlands of Ross and Inverness. Settlement has principally taken place among the plains and lower levels of the South Eastern, Midland, and North Western parts of the island, and more recently in the mineral districts of the West and North East. The climate is exceptionally genial and is one of the finest in the temperate zone (Johnston's Tasm. Official Record).

KELLY, in his boat expedition round Tasmania in 1815-16, was at Recherche Bay prevented from landing by a large body of natives giving his party a tremendous volley of stones and spears (p. 6). At Cape Grim he writes (p. 9): “We had just lighted a fire, when we perceived a large body of natives, at least fifty in number, standing on the edge of the bush, about fifty yards from us. They were all armed with spears and waddies. We immediately brought the arms from the boat, and put ourselves into a state of defence. They began to advance slowly towards us near the fire. We held up our pieces, and made signs to them not to come any closer. They held up their spears in return, accompanying their movements with loud laughing. They jeered at us, as if they thought we were afraid of their formidable band. We thought it desirable to retreat to the boat, when suddenly they laid down their weapons in the edge of the bush, and each holding up both hands as if they did not mean any mischief, at the same time making signs to us to lay down our arms, which we did to satisfy them; for if we had retreated quickly to the boat, it was probable they would have killed every one of us before we could have got out of range of their spears.

SINCE going to press I have received from Mr. Rayner a further account of fire making by Tasmanian aborigines. This account is in answer to my enquiry addressed to him through Mr. J. B. Walker. It. runs as follows:–“A piece of flat wood was obtained, and a groove was made the full length in the centre. Another piece of wood about a foot in length with a point like a blunt chisel was worked with nearly lightning rapidity up and down the groove till it caught in a flame. As soon as the stick caught in a blaze, a piece of burnt fungus, ori punk, as it is generally termed, was applied, which would keep alight, &c, &c. I cannot say what kind of wood it was. My father has seen them light it. The piece with the groove, he said, was hard, the other soft. The blacks in Australia get fire by the same method. I have seen that done. I think it almost impossible for a white man to do it for I have seen it tried and always prove a failure.” Rayner's account agrees in the main with Cotton's, and we are therefore in possession of accounts of three distinct methods of fire production, viz.: (1) by means of flint and tender; (2) by means of fire drill and socket; and (3) by means of stick and groove.

“THE following is the account, taken from a V. D. Land newspaper, of the first effort that has been made to fix and hand down to posterity, a true resemblance of this interesting people in their original state and costume: for, according to the local authorities we quote, the few random diminutive attempts in water colours, and rough engraving that have yet been tried, can scarcely be considered as affording any true picture of this singular race.

“‘We had the pleasure the other day, in visiting Mr. Duterreau's collection of paintings in Campbell Street, to be agreeably surprised by remarkably striking portraits of our old sable acquaintances, the aborigines of this island. They are painted of the natural size in three-fourth lengths, having come to Mr. Duterreau, and stood till he took their likeness with the greatest satisfaction. They are all drawn exactly in the native garb. Wooready, the native of Brune Island, who has attended Mr. Robinson in all his expeditions, has his hair smeared in the usual way with grease and ochre.; three rows of small shining univalve shells strung round his neck, and the jaw-bone of his deceased friend suspended on his breast.