52 HUNTING. Without monetary cares, without the necessity of heavy toil for the maintenance of his family, the Port Phillip native must have had a comfortable life. His lubra gathered roots, and when it suited him, rather for pastime than necessity, he would take his spear, boomerang or waddy, and soon return with a bountiful supply. Fancying an opossum, he would cut notches in the hark for his toes with a stone hatchet, quickly ascend the lofty tree, ex amine a hole or two in decaying limbs, twist out a fellow by the tail, and hurl him down to the dogs below. Both the emu and wild turkey are very shy, and difficult of approach. Our dark brothers, therefore, had stealthily to approach them under cover of a large green bush. One Yarra blackfellow gave us a capital description of catching the turkey. Armed with a long rod, having a noose at the end, and a little bird fastened to the top, the hunter in the moving bush nears the victim. The silly fowl walks up to the struggling captive, and pecks at him. The adroit savage watches his opportunity, and judiciously turns his rod to entrap and strangle his prize. The turkey is quietly removed, and the bait is success ful with a mate. The pretty Lyre bird is more awake, and must be waddied down. Boys practised throwing at birds with a wooden instrument three feet long, terminating in an elongated egg shaped knob, which had been charred to harden it. The young urchins were expert in snoozing the wide awake Wood pigeon. The net is an important feature in hunting. Those to entrap kangaroos on their way home along their tracks are made out of the bullrush root. Other nets are of the Wongul root. The fibres- are separated by mastication. The netting needle is like a lead pencil, and round it the string is wound. No mesh is used. The string of fibres rubbed on the lubra’s thigh becomes a material as neat as whipcord. The Goulburn blacks have fishing nets of a sort of grass. The Yarra tribe fish with the spear. The Murray men seek their finny friends at night, when a whole fleet may be seen, with a fire of fragrant wood in the prow of their boats. The canoe is of bark softened by fire and moulded to the shape, which is afterwards maintained until hardened by props to keep the sides apart. Such a vessel will not preserve its equilibrium
