GEOLOGICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ETHERIDGE. 51 



been laid in the prone positon. Not the least interesting fact was 

 the variety of articles placed with the deceased, according to 

 aboriginal custom. Loose in the superincumbent earth we found 

 an ingenious conversion of a piece of forked iron into a probable 

 spear-head, a pointed stick, and some loose pieces of timber. 

 Underneath the skeleton in various positions there occurred an 

 old comb in two pieces, a thimble, a large iron spoon, the 

 blade of another spoon, a small bullet mould, handle and 

 portion of the tin plate-work of an old " quart-pot " or "billy- 

 can," fragment of a clay tobacco pipe-stem, top of an old 

 metal powder or shot-case, containing shot and a few shirt 

 buttons, and last, but by no means the least curious, a castor 

 oil bottle, still containing what seems to be a portion of the oil, 

 — this was placed directly under the head. 



Mr. Maurice Gorman subsequently conducted us across the 

 Wollondilly to a slight rise above "Larry Gorman's Fat," Parish 

 of Nattai, on the Nattai side of the Wollondilly, County of 

 Camden, and a little below the junction of the rivers. Here we 

 viewed the burial place of a "Chief" of the late local tribe, the 

 interment having taken place about fifteen years ago. It lies 

 contiguous to one of three marked trees placed in a triangle, the 

 longest side or base of the latter being half a chain in length, and 

 bearing north-west and south-east. The trees are still erect, 

 although the carvings are more or less obliterated by bush fires, 

 but they seem to have been chiefly in zig-zag lines, and of course 

 cut with an iron tomahawk. The heavy rain prevailing at the 

 time deterred us from investigating this burial. It is situated 

 on either Portions C. 98/70 or C. 98/105, Parish of Nattai. 



This concluded our investigations in Burragorang proper, but 

 on returning to Thirlmere, we diverted our course near Yander- 

 ville, across the Werriberri Creek to " The Hermitage," the 

 estate of Mr. W. G. Hayes, Parish of Burragorang, County of 

 Camden. Through the kindness of Mr. Hayes we were allowed 

 to examine a much more extensive burial-ground than either of 

 the preceding. Here, on a small plateau above and to the east 

 of the Waterfall Creek, a branch of the Werriberri, and behind, 

 or to the south of the homestead, are four graves of various sizes 

 distinguished by four carved trees, more or less in a state of 

 dilapidation. There does not appear to have been any geometrical 

 form of arrangement assumed in the placing of these graves, 

 unless it be a roughly rhomboidal one. We expected, from 

 current report, to find five graves here, but four only rewarded 

 our efibrts. Three of the graves and three carved trees are more 

 or less in a north-west and south-east line. Starting at the 

 north-west corner, the figures on a She-oak (Casuarina) have 

 been partially obliterated, ten feet from this is the first grave, 

 and fourteen feet from the latter is another carved She-oak (Plate 



