with the "white" quite clear, and that of the other deep brown-black, with the "white" flecked and streaked with bluish and brownish colors.
The young half-castes partake in their form, features, and color more of the character of the male parent than that of the Aboriginal female. It is rare to see one that strikingly resembles the black mother. The nose is usually broad, the wings of the nose are in some elevated, the mouth is large, and the lips are thick, but seldom is any one feature very strongly or coarsely marked.
A few show finely-cut features, the delicate outlines of which greatly contrast those seen amongst the natives of pure blood. Their cheek-bones do not project; the superciliary ridges are not prominent; the eyes are large, liquid, and have a soft expression; and their aspect, though somewhat foreign, is not so much so as to excite comment. They are very like the people of Southern Europe, and many would be passed by without remark in a crowd of English children.
When the half-castes attain maturity they exhibit, however, the admixture of Aboriginal blood more strongly. They become fleshy and coarse, their countenances are heavy—and some are almost repulsive.
Both the males and the females deteriorate after they have passed the age of twelve or fourteen years.
The children of a half-caste female and a white man are not to be distinguished from children of European parents. What peculiarities they may display when they arrive at maturity is not known.
Some half-castes very quickly adopt European customs, and others prefer the society of the blacks—depending on the manner in which they have been situated in their youth. A half-caste young woman from the north was living for some time in a gentleman's family in Melbourne. She was educated, had been taught music, and appeared to be more than usually intelligent.
