1897.1 MATHEWS — ROCK CARVINGS AND PAINTINGS. 478 



Most of the paintings are executed on the cave walls, but they 

 are not infrequently drawn on the roofs, and are sometimes found 

 in both these positions in the same cave. They are generally 

 within the reach of an individual standing on the ground, but in a 

 few instances I have found them at heights varying from eight, 

 twelve and eighteen feet above the floor. In such cases it is likely 

 that the natives stood on ledges of rock which have since weathered 

 away, or on a staging erected for the purpose. 



These paintings are nearly always drawn on the natural surface of 

 the rock, but in some cases I have found that the cave wall had 

 previously been painted a different color to that employed in the 

 figures executed upon it. In one case the wall had first been colored 

 red and on this background the figures had been drawn in white. ^ 

 A similar instance of white painting on a ground of red ochre rubbed 

 on the cave wall is mentioned by Capt. P. P. King^ as having been 

 observed by him in 1821 at Clack's Island, Prince Charlotte's Bay, 

 Queensland. Capt. Grey states that the rock around one of the 

 figures seen by him in West Australia in 1838 was painted black in 

 order to produce the greater effect.^ In some of the caves visited 

 by me I found that the walls had been blackened before the paint- 

 ings were made upon them.^ 



Owing to the weathering ot the cave walls, in some instances the 

 paintings are barely discernible ; and in such cases I have found 

 that one can see them better by standing several yards off than 

 when very close to them. It is well to observe them from more 

 than one standpoint, so that'they may be seen with the light falling 

 upon them in different directions, for the purpose of bringing into 

 view faint lines which might otherwise escape notice. 



Throughout my observations respecting this subject I have found 

 that the natives in selecting rock shelters in which to produce their 

 paintings always chose those whose walls consisted of smooth sur- 

 faces on which the objects could be delineated and at the same time 

 sufficiently hard to be durable. Caves consisting of soft, friable 

 sandstone, or which were situated in damp localities, or were 

 exposed to storms, were rejected as unsuitable. I have also found 

 that far the greater number of these shelters have a northerly aspect, 



1 Proc. Roy. Geog. Soc. Aust., Q. Branch, x, p. 65, PL ii, Fig. 8. 



2 Survey Intertropical Coasts of Australia, ii, pp. 26, 27. 



3 Two Expeds. N. IV. and IV. Australia, i, p. 202, Fig. I. 

 ^Jour. Anthrop. /w^A.xxv, pp. 157, 158, Pi. xiv, Fig. 2. 



