The natives were found by the settlers, as we have already stated, very friendly, and their assistance proved valuable: they brought in the head of the palm-cabbage, which makes an excellent vegetable, though to procure it, the tree is cut down and destroyed: they also supplied the party with wild honey. One of the Raffles Bay tribe instantly made himself known on the arrival of the Expedition in the Bay; he was called by the name of Alligator, on account of his huge teeth, though his proper appellation was Marambari.
From Lieutenant Vallach* of H.M.S. Britomart, I received much valuable information respecting the natives, whom I find to be divided in three distinct classes, which do not intermarry. The first is known as Maudrojilly, the second as Mamburgy, the third as Mandrouilly. They are very particular about the distinction of classes, but we could never discover which was the superior and which the inferior class, though it is supposed by most of those who have inquired into the subject, that the Madrojilly, or first class, head the others in war, and govern the affairs of the tribe.
(*Footnote. Lieutenant Vallach died at Moulmain in 1841.)
These aborigines were certainly a fine race, differing in some matters from the other natives of Australia; their hair was neither curly nor straight, but crisp. The custom of extracting a front tooth prevails among them, while the nasal cartilage here as elsewhere was perforated. I noticed in particular that they did not make use of the boomerang, or kiley, but of the throwing stick or womera, of a larger kind, however, than any I have observed elsewhere; the head of their spears was made of stone. They have a smaller kind, chiefly used to kill birds and other animals at a considerable distance. They have also large heavy clubs, while the natives on the South coast carry only the short throwing stick.* They go wholly naked, except when entering the settlements, on which occasions they wear a few leaves. Their canoes were chiefly obtained from the Malays.
(*Footnote. We refer our readers to Mr. Eyre's work, where these and other weapons are figured.)
I here saw the only musical instrument I ever remarked among the natives of Australia. It is a piece of bamboo thinned from the inside, through which they blow with their noses. It is from two to three feet long, is called ebroo, and produces a kind of droning noise. It is generally made use of at corrobories or dances, some of which express feats of hunting and war, while others are very indecent, and reminded us of similar exhibitions in the East. It was generally remarked that the old clothes given to these savages disappeared in a most mysterious manner. They were understood to be sold to the natives inhabiting the loftier parts of the interior, but of this I entertain very considerable doubt. Sand, in which the Australian continent abounds, is like everything else proceeding from the hand of the Creator, not without its uses. On cold nights the natives make up for their total want of covering, by burying themselves in it, and nothing can be more irresistibly comic than to see these black lumps sticking out of the earth, like so many enchanted unfortunates in an eastern romance. It moreover has other uses, forming a substitute for soap;* and when cooking turtle it is mixed with earth and sprinkled over the meat, as we should pepper.
(*Footnote. Their general habits are cleanly.)
One discovery which was made through the medium of the natives, was that the large tumuli noticed by Captain King and others, and supposed to be raised by the inhabitants, are the works of a bird; some of them are thirty feet long and about five feet high; they are always built near thick bushes in which they can take shelter, at the least alarm. The edifice is erected with the feet, which are remarkable both for size and strength, and a peculiar power of grasping; they are yellow while the body is brown. Nothing can be more curious than to see them hopping towards these piles on one foot, the other being filled with materials for building. Though much smaller in shape, in manner they much resemble moor-fowl. The use made of the mound is to contain eggs, which are deposited in layers, and are then hatched by the heat generated in part from decomposition. The instant that the shell bursts, the young bird comes forth strong and large, and runs without the slightest care being taken of it by the parent. Of the number of eggs laid by each bird, seldom more than two are hatched. It is singular that these mounds are found away from the earth and shells of which they are composed. It seems difficult to credit that a bird so small could raise a structure so large. The largest we ever saw was about eight feet high, on one of the Possession Islands in Endeavour Strait.
The name given to the bird by Mr. Gould is Megapodius tumulus, and it will be unnecessary to enter upon any further details concerning it, as he has described it most interestingly in his work on the birds of Australia.
Great numbers of kangaroos were also found here, which at the period of our arrival the settlers were just getting into the way of killing. There are three varieties, of which the largest weighs about 160 pounds. I must further allude to a most beautiful little opossum which inhabits these parts. It is about half the size of a full-grown rat, and designated as Belideus ariel. Its colour and fur greatly resemble the chinchilla, and I have little doubt that the skin is valuable and might be made an article of trade. This animal has a membrane between the fore and hind paws, which aids it to some extent when leaping from bough to bough. It is a great enemy to the wild bee, devouring them and their nests; the bees the natives discover by tapping the tree and listening for a buzzing from within. Those we saw, amounting to nearly a hundred, were about the size of a fly, of a dusky black colour, and strange to say, were hovering round an empty tar-barrel. They have been unsuccessfully tried in hives at Sydney.