Height, Weight, &c., of Aboriginal Natives at Lake Tyers, in Gippsland, from information furnished by the Rev. John Bulmer:—
| Name. | Age. | Height. | Weight. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacks.–Men. | years. | ft. | in. | lbs. |
| Tommy Johnson (young man) | about 17 | 5 | 6½ | 134 |
| Benjamin Jennings (young man) | about 30 | 5 | 6½ | 148 |
| William McDougall (young man) | about 28 | 5 | 2 | 141 |
| Toby (young man) | 28 | 5 | 5¾ | 125 |
| Charley Buchanan | 36 | 5 | 3¾ | 119 |
| McLeod | 35 | 5 | 3 | 130 |
| Charley Anderson | 19 | 5 | 7½ | 143 |
| William Flanner | 35 | 5 | 3 | 133 |
| Dick Cooper | 30 | 5 | 8½ | 145 |
| King Charley | 35 | 5 | 9¼ | 144 |
| Billy the Bull | 30 | 5 | 8¾ | 178 |
| Dan (old man) | 50 | 5 | 5 | 130 |
| Billy Jumbuck (old man) | 50 | 5 | 5 | 130 |
| Jackey Jackey | 48 | 5 | 7¾ | 159 |
| Charley Blair (young man) | 28 | 5 | 7 | 120 |
It appears, from these tables, that the average height of forty-nine adult male blacks is 5 ft. 5¾ in.—the greatest height being 6 ft. 1 in., and the least 5 ft. 1 in.; and that the average weight is 137⅔ lbs. nearly—the greatest weight being 214 lbs., and the least 112 lbs.
The average height of twenty-five adult black females is 5 ft.—the greatest being 5 ft. 4 in., and the least 4 ft. 9 in. The average weight of the women is 114½ lbs. (nearly)—the greatest being 148 lbs., and the least 78 lbs.
The half-castes appear to great advantage, as compared with the natives of pure blood. Though the records relate only to a small number, they are nevertheless highly suggestive. The average height of the half-caste men is 5 ft. 10⅛ in., and the average weight 160 lbs.; and the average height of the women is 5 ft. 3¾ in., and the average weight 140 lbs.
These results are in accordance with what one sees in a large mixed assemblage of blacks and half-castes. The latter are invariably larger, better formed, and more fully developed than the blacks; and some of the boys—showing but little of the blood of the mother—are better formed and more pleasing in appearance than many children born of white parents. When they grow up, however, they usually become coarse and heavy.
It will be noted also, on examining the tables, that the height and weight of the men and women in Gippsland are greater than the averages; that the height and weight of the men at Coranderrk are considerably above the averages; and that the women at that station, though of average stature, are much heavier than the women of the western parts of the colony. The natives at Coranderrk, however, having been brought from all parts of Victoria, are not representative of any particular tribes, as are those at Lake Hindmarsh, Lake Condah, and Gippsland.
