"Although red-gums of very large size grow at Cooper's Creek, I never observed that a sheet of bark had been removed for a canoe; nor did I ever observe a canoe with the blacks, or the remains of one. I conclude that they do not use one; and this applies equally to the blacks north of Sturt's Desert (Diamantina River)—in fact, so far as I know, to all Central Australia and South Australia, excepting at the Murray River. This seems a mere truism in respect to a country having no flowing rivers; but when floods such as those of Cooper's Creek and the Diamantina occur, one might have expected to find the blacks using bark canoes on such occasions. The only other remark which suggests itself to me as regards canoes, is the observation I have made, that when navigating a large sheet of water during rough weather—such as parts of the Gippsland Lakes, Lake Tyers, Sydenham Inlet—the canoe-man, in propel- ling his canoe—standing upright—by means of a long light pole for a paddle, does not bring his craft 'end' on to a sea, but 'bow' on, so as to 'sidle' over the waves, the canoe riding over sideways like a duck. End on, it would probably break its back across the wave."
Toolabar, the Gippsland native, who is mentioned in Mr. Hewitt's state- ment, has informed him that the best canoes are obtained from the bark of the following trees, here arranged in order of merit:—
- . Mountain ash, a variety of ironbark, not turned inside out, but tied.
- . Stringybark, turned inside out and tied.
- . Red-gum, generally from a bent tree; may be tied, but not turned inside out.
- . A variety of blue-gum (Ballook), turned and tied.
- . White-gum of river valleys, turned and tied; likewise the Snowy River mahogany (Binnack).
- . Peppermint; "no good," according to Toolabar; as also a thin yellow-barked stringybark (Yert-chuck), the good kind being Yan-goura.
Toolabar measured on the ground canoes for two, three, and four people; and the first was in length about seven feet six inches, the second eight feet, and the third from ten feet to twelve feet.
Mr. Howitt adds that in travelling from Grant towards Bairnsdale he found a stringybark-tree from which a sheet of bark for a canoe had been stripped, the bend evidently having been used. The ends, he has no doubt, had been tied, but he thinks it could not have been turned. He made a sketch on the spot, and furnished me also with diagrams.—(See Fig. 242.) The sheet of bark taken off was twelve feet in length, and four feet four inches measured round the convex side of the bend.
Mr. Nathaniel Munro gives me the following account of the canoes which he has seen used in Victoria. In fashioning a canoe, the natives take a large piece of bark, free from knots, and with their tomahawks cut it into the shape of an ellipse, having its ends pointed, and with its transverse and conjugate diameters as three to one. When this is laid on the fire, it contracts, and doubles over into a cigar-shaped canoe. The ends, which are subsequently tied together, curve up in such a manner as to be above the water-line when it is set afloat. The sides, which have a tendency to come together, are kept
