Note 90 — Chapter XII
Reading edition
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.