Art. XI. — Aboriginal Rock Paintings and Carvings in 

 New South Wales. 



(With Plates 8 and 9.) 



By R. H. Mathews, Licensed Surveyor. 



(Communicated by E. F. J. Love, M.A.) 

 [Eead 12th July, 1894.] 



For some time I have been studying the rock paintings and 

 carvings made by the aborigines of New South Wa,les ; and last 

 year I prepared a short paper on the sul^ject, and read it before 

 the Royal Society of New South Wales, of which I am a member. 

 My paper appears in the journal of that Society for 1893, Vol. 

 XXVII., pp. 353-358, with thi-ee plates. The paper was read 

 in October last, and was fully reported in the newspapers, by 

 which means a great deal of attention was drawn to rock 

 paintings and carvings, and many persons who had nev^er before 

 given any consideration to the subject were thereby induced to 

 collect information, and make drawings of paintings and carvings 

 visited by thera, which have been found valuable to our Society 

 here. 



It has, thei'efoi'e, occurred to me that if the subject were 

 brought before the members of your Society, and publicity given 

 to it, it may have the same effect in your colony. With this 

 olject in view I have prepared some di'awings of aboriginal 

 paintings in caves or rock shelters, and also a few drawings of 

 native carvings on rocks. It is nmch to be regretted that this 

 subject has received so little attention from early colonists, who 

 couhl then have easily obtained authentic information in regard 

 to it. These drawings, though primitive enough in design, and 

 rude in execution, yet are highly interesting to the archfeologist 

 and ethnologist. 



Most, if not all, of the animals painted or carved upon rocks 

 may have been intended to represent the totems of the different 

 divisions of the classes forming the community. It is well known 

 that the Australian tribes were divided into classes, which were 



