From Dawson's description of the aboriginal habitations,[474] we get a good glimpse into their mode of dwelling. Dawson says they have either a permanent or temporary habitation, and describes both. The former _wuurn_ is bigger, and may accommodate about a dozen persons. But it serves only for the use of one family. "When several families live together each builds its _wuurn_, facing one central fire." But even the family, if the children are grown up, does not live in one party; "the _wuurn_ is partitioned off into compartments. One of these is appropriated to the parents and children, one to the young unmarried women and widows, and one to the bachelors and widowers." Here we see that husband and wife sleep also quite apart, with their small children. Grown-up but unmarried male or female children have compartments of their own. And if they were married they must have had their own separate camp. The isolation seems to have been amongst these tribes much less accentuated than amongst the East Victorians, for instance. Although separated, grown-up children lived in the same habitation, and even the _wuurns_ of separate families were situated round a common fire, so that it "appears to be one dwelling." In their temporary huts the isolation is more pronounced. "While travelling or occupying temporary habitations each of these parties (parent, male and female children) must erect separate _wuurns_." Moreover each family must camp separately. A certain communism of living is expressed also by the common cooking,[475] although each family has its basket in which it cooks food.[476] [474] _Loc. cit._, pp. 10, 11. [475] _Loc. cit._, pp. 17, 20. [476] _Ibid._ Eyre's information about the Lower Murray River blacks agrees to a certain degree with Dawson's statements. "Sometimes each married man will have a hut for himself, his wives and family, including, perhaps, occasionally his mother or some other near relative. At other times, large long huts are constructed, in which from five to ten families reside, each having their own separate fire."[477] Of course, here the communism is much greater, although the separation of the fire circles is still kept. These natives, as well as the tribes described by Dawson, were in better economic conditions, and therefore able to adopt sedentary life; they were also more skilful in the building of huts. The general type of a hut was a rude shelter of boughs only affording protection against rain.[478] [477] Eyre, ii. p. 302. [478] Compare Curr, _A.R._, i. p. 97, and Prof. Frazer, _Tot. and Exog._, i. pp. 321, 322.