[87] The Australian dog never barks; and it is remarked by Mr. Gardiner, in a work entitled the “Music of Nature,” “that dogs in a state of nature never bark; they simply whine, howl, and growl: this explosive noise is only found among those which are domesticated. Sonnini speaks of the shepherds’ dogs in the wilds of Egypt as not having this faculty; and Columbus found the dogs which he had previously carried to America, to have lost their propensity to barking. The ancients were aware of this circumstance. Isaiah compares the blind watchmen of Israel to these animals—‘they are dumb, they cannot bark.’ But, on the contrary, David compares the noise of his enemies to the dogs round about the city. Hence the barking of a dog is an acquired faculty—an effort to speak, which he derives from his associating with man. It cannot be doubted, that dogs in this country bark more, and fight less, than formerly. This may be accounted for by the civilization of the lower orders, who have gained a higher taste in their sports and pastimes, than badger-baitings and dog-fights; and it may with truth be asserted, that the march of intellect has had its influence even upon the canine race, in destroying that natural ferocity for war which (happily for the world) is now spent more in words than in blows.” [88] Upon this mountain, and some other parts of the hilly country in the vicinity, but not, I believe, very common, is a species of kangaroo rat; (“Narru” of the aborigines;) but I was not sufficiently fortunate to procure a specimen. [89] Most of the stations in the interior have the native names of the place given them; but they are often better known by the name of the stock-keepers in charge, as in the above instance, to which many others might be added. [90] When on one occasion the head of a native was under examination, a gentleman present asked the wondering black, “if he knew what was doing to his head?” Blackee answered in the negative. “Why you will no more be able to catch kangaroos or opossums.” No sooner was this said, than the black started away in anger, seized and flourished his spear, exclaiming, “What for you do that? What for you do all the same that!” And the unfortunate manipulator of savage craniums, as also his companion, began to be apprehensive, that the practice of the science was in a high degree dangerous among uncivilized beings. On another occasion, the temporal muscle was found unusually large in the head of a native black under investigation: this was remarked by the phrenologist to a gentleman who stood near him, at the same time squeezing it, and saying to blackee, “Cobbong (large) this.” “Ah!” exclaimed the black as he made off at a rapid pace, “me now see what you want; you want patta,” (eat) and escaped as quickly as possible from the ravenous cannibal appetite he supposed the phrenologist to possess. [91] The black cockatoo usually feeds on the trees; the white species almost invariably upon the ground.