the water by the women. This net is called Lowrn by the natives of Gippsland. Similar nets were used formerly in all parts of Victoria.
Wye-wye-a-nine informs me that the fishing-net provided with floats and sinkers is called by the natives of the Lower Murray Kul-kul-ook, and the landing-net Moom-gnil. A small square net—somewhat like Moom-gnil, as regards the meshes—is used to catch fish in small streams. It is named Mook-kurra.[1]
Mr. John Green has obtained from the natives of the Yarra a specimen of their fishing-nets. It is made of the fibre of the stringybark, and is a coarse strong net. It is named Karrt-keerrt. The mesh is shown in Fig. 224.
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| FIG. 224. |
The mesh of a fishing-net from the River Burdekin, in North-Eastern Australia, is shown in Fig. 225. The net is round, and about seven feet in diameter. The size of the mesh is one inch. The twine is strong, but not very even. This net was in the possession of the Honorable Matthew Hervey, now deceased, to whom I was indebted for some rare and valuable specimens of native implements.
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| FIG. 225. |
Mr. John McDonnell, of Brisbane, has sent me a portion of a net used by the natives of Northern Queensland. The mesh is seven-tenths of an inch, and is even throughout. The twine is formed—as well as I can judge—of a fibre of some bark, but of what tree I know not. It is an excellent net. The knot is exactly the same as that of the net shown in Fig. 225.
- ↑ The Ancient Egyptians used a net with wooden floats and sinkers similar to the Ba-arang above described; and a landing-net with a kind of bow somewhat resembling the Australian Lowrn.—See A Popular Account of the Ancient Egyptians. Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson, p. 188, vol. II.
