52 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



XIII., Fig. 1), now lying on the ground and much decayed. Fifty- 

 one feet still further on occurs the largest grave, and at another 

 fifty-one feet the third ornamented tree, a dead gum still standing 

 but much burnt by bush fires, and bearing an extraordinary figure 

 (Plate XIII., Fig. 2). Between the last grave and tliis tree, and 

 deviating somewhat from the straight line in the third interment, 

 at right angles to the original starting point ; and fifty-four feet 

 from it, at right angles, is the fourth carved tree, also a dead gum, 

 bearing the figures shown in Plate XIII., Fig. 3. At right angles 

 to this again, and distant sixty-four feet, is the fourth grave, 

 apparently without any indicating tree near it. We did not 

 investigate the contents of these graves owing to want of time. 



The carving on the first tree (Plate III., Fig. 1) is four feet 

 four inches long, and one foot seven inches wide ; that on the 

 second tree (Plate XIII., Fig. 2) is five feet six inches long, 

 and one foot ten inches wide; and that on the third (Plate XIII., 

 Fig. 3) is the smallest, three feet three inches long by nine inches 

 wide, as now preserved. 



In the Waterfall Creek previously referred to, are numerous 

 grooved surfaces on the rock-bed and sides, caused by the process 

 of tomahawk grinding. 



I am not acquainted with any systematic account of Australian 

 carved trees; in fact little seems to have been collectively written 

 about them, and very few representations figured. Probably 

 some of the earliest illustrations are those by Oxley, Sturt, and 

 " W.R.G.," presumed to be from the context of his writings, Mr. 

 Surveyor W. R. Govett, of Govett's Leap fame. Oxley discovered 

 a grave on the Lachlan, consisting of a semi-circular mound, with 

 two trees overlooking it, barked and carved in a simple manner.* 

 These carvings consisted of herring-bone on the one tree, and well 

 marked curved although simple lines on the other. The explorer 

 Sturt noticed an oblong grave beyond Taylor's Rivulet, Macquarie 

 River, around which the trees were "fancifully carved on the 

 inner side," one with a figure of a heart, f The anonymous author 

 (W.R.G.) describes an occurrence of this kind at Mount Wayo, 

 County Argyle, in the following words, " The trees all round the 

 tomb were marked in various peculiar ways, some with zig-zags 

 and stripes, and pieces of bark otherwise cut."| A Mr. Macdonald 

 states that the Aborigines of the Page and Isis, tributaries of the 

 Hunter River, carve serpentine lines on two trees to the north- 

 west of each grave. § 



* Journ. Two Expeds. Interior N.S. Wales, 1820, p. 139, plate. 



tTwo Expeds. Interior S. Austr., 1834, I., p. 1-i. 



t Saturday Mag., 183U, IX., No. 279, p. 18 i. 



§ Journ. Anthrop. Inst. Gt. Brit, and Ireland, 1878, VII., p. 25G. 



