474 MATHEWS — ROCK CARVINGS AND PAINTINGS. [Nov. 19, 



thus receiving more or less of the sun's rays on every sunshiny day. 

 In the large number of these rock shelters inspected by me those 

 which were the most exposed to the sun's rays were the best pre- 

 served ; and it would appear from the fact that most of them face 

 the direction of the sun that this was known to the aborigines. 



Aboriginal rock paintings have been executed in three different 

 ways, viz., stenciled, impressed and outlined, i. In the stencil 

 method the extended hand was placed firmly on the smooth surface 

 of the rock and the required color blown or squirted over it out of 

 the mouth. Sometimes the rock was first wetted and the color 

 blown in a dry state around the object ; in other instances the color 

 was wetted and was then squirted out of the mouth. Drawings 

 done in the last-mentioned way can be easily distinguished from 

 those stenciled with dry powder. This method of drawing was 

 also frequently used in representing native weapons such as toma- 

 hawks, boomerangs, waddies, etc. Small animals such as fish, 

 human feet and the feet of animals are also sometimes shown in this 

 way. The color in some of the larger figures appears to have been 

 applied in a wet state with a tool similar to a brush or mop. 



In many of the stenciled pictures of the hand it is probable that 

 the latter was held in position on the rock and the color applied by 

 the same individual ; but in representations of feet and native 

 weapons, some of the latter being three or four feet in length, it 

 would be necessary for two or more persons to participate in the 

 work. A modification of this method was to previously color the 

 surface of the rock and afterwards to stencil the hand or other object 

 upon it in a different color. This mode of drawing was very effec- 

 tive, especially when the ground was red and the stenciling was 

 done in white. ^ 



Stenciled drawings of the shut hand are occasionally met with. 

 In these cases the hand with the fingers shut, but the thumb 

 extended was placed against the rock and stenciled in the usual 

 way. 



2. In the impression method the palm of the hand of the artist 

 was either rubbed over with a liquid color or was dipped into it, 

 and while wet was firmly pressed against a smooth surface ^ on the 

 cave wall. Upon removing the hand, the colored impression of it 

 was left clearly defined upon the rock. 



1 For an example the reader is referred to the cave described by me in the 

 Proc. Roy. Geog. Soc. AttsL, Q. Branch, x, pp. 46-70, PI. ii, Fig. 8. 



