We read in Scott Nind's description of the aborigines of King George's Sound: "The girls appear to be at the disposal of their father and are generally bespoke in their infancy; even before they are born we have been told to whom they were betrothed, if they prove to be females." Sometimes exchange of relatives is practised. In some cases boys are adopted as sons-in-law--a custom called _cotertie_.[132] This seems to be analogous to the customs reported from Central Australia and New South Wales. "Attentions and presents are paid more to her (the bride's) father than to herself, and indeed the trifles she receives are generally transferred to him. These chiefly consist of game or other articles of food; the father, perhaps, receives a cloak, spears or other implements."[133] The author says: "I do not think they have any nuptial ceremony."[134] Another mode of procuring a wife is to carry her off; sometimes against her will, generally by mutual agreement. In both cases the couple must beware of the husband's revenge. If the female become pregnant and presents are given to the husband, she is released from her first engagement.[135] A woman may be also betrothed during her husband's lifetime to a man, to whom she passes when widowed.[136] [132] _Loc. cit._, p. 38. [133] _Ibid._ [134] p. 38. [135] _Ibid._ [136] p. 39. Browne relates that girls were often promised in infancy; elopement also often took place.[137] [137] _Loc. cit._, p. 450. We have also six statements in the answers given to Professor Frazer's _Questions_ (_J.A.I._, xxiv., pp. 157 _sq._). I have not ranged them with the foregoing, for they seem not to be of equal accuracy[138] except perhaps that of Police Inspector Foelsche, Port Darwin, North Territory, South Australia. And this agrees with the majority of our data: girls are promised in infancy to men of different ages, and go to live with them when arrived at puberty. It is noteworthy that all these six statements deny the existence of any betrothal ceremony. Five of them inform us that wives were obtained by "purchase" from their parents. The word purchase covers, probably, the fact that the girl's parents obtained, at the marriage contract, and probably ever after, gifts from their future son-in-law. We have such statements already in our collection, and it seems that wherever there was no exchange of females the girl's family received some compensation for her in another form. [138] They are given by police troopers, stationmasters, etc. One of them is Sam Gason, whose information about the Dieri we know from another place. It is crude, but not quite useless; here he does not teach us anything new.