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THE ABORIGINES OF VICTORIA:
Muloora | Cormorant. |
Boorkoopiya | Long-beaked cormorant. |
Kootie | Swan. |
Thaumpara | Pelican. |
Kirrpiyirrka | Gull. |
Fish and other fresh-water habitants are few and unimportant, being caught in the water-holes and lakelets, which can only be called creeks or rivers when the floods come down; the last of which occurred in 1864.
Paroo | A small bony flat fish. |
Multhoomulthoo | A fish weighing from 3 to 3½ lbs. |
Moodlakoopa | A fish averaging 4 lbs. |
Koorie | Mussel. |
Kuniekoondie | Cray-fish. |
The vegetable food is various:–
Yowa | Rather larger than a pea, found three inches deep in the ground. |
Winkara | A very starchy root, about five inches long. |
Munyaroo | A plant much eaten. |
Kunaurra | The seed of the munyaroo, used when ground into meal between two stones. |
Ardoo | Often described in newspapers and by writers as nardoo. [Referred to in another part of this work.] |
Cobboboo | A nut found on the box-tree, on breaking which it discloses a grub; this is probably a gall. |
Wodaroo | A thin long root, obtainable only where the soil is rich and covered with turf. This is one of the best vegetables the natives possess, sweet and mealy. |
Coonchirrie | The seed from a species of acacia, ground and made into small loaves. |
Patharapowa | The seed of the box-tree, ground and made into loaves. |
Caulyoo | The seed of the prickly acacia, pounded and made into loaves. |
Wodlaooroo | Very fine seed, taken from the silver-grass growing in the creeks. |
Wirrathandra | Seed of an acacia. |
Mulkathaudra | Seed of the mulga-tree. |
Yoongundie | Black, fine seed, taken from a plant similar to clover. |
Mootcha | Native cotton-bush. When the leaves sprout and become quite green, the natives gather and cook them, and at seed-time they pluck and eat the pods. |