Nov., 1907.] THE VICTORIAN NATUKALIST. 115 



After a short spell for lunch, and to tie up our horses, we 

 started along the cross road mentioned, visiting several of the 

 granite masses to see if they offered anything of interest, but, 

 beyond Keimedya iiioiioijliijlla, and the ferns Anpleidiim 

 fiabellifolijiiii and CheilaiU/ict; teimi/olid, they were very barren. 

 In about a mile we turned into the paddocks on our right, where 

 there were signs of the solitary miner, and began to ascend the 

 mountain slope. We had not gone far when our guide calleil 

 attention to the flakes of stone lying about, and, sure enough 

 there we were walking over ground which at one lime was no 

 doubt jealously guarded, and probably was the scene of many a 

 fight, or even war, wlien the former dusky owners were assailed 

 by tribes desirous of obtaining the coveted stone for their axes. 

 To say that chijjs from the size of a threepenny piece to that of the 

 palm of your hand could be [kicked up there by the ton is no ex- 

 aggeration. I was fairly astounded at the scene. For how many 

 hundreds of years did the aboriginals visit this hill to make their 

 axes no one can tell, but the signs tell us that many generations 

 must have passed away while these quarries were being used. 

 Many axes of various sizes were picked up, but all rejects — i.e., 

 unfinished or thrown away for some defect — the reason being that 

 the stones, after being roughly chipped to shape on the hillside, 

 were taken away to some creek with running water to be ground 

 down by patient rubbing on another stone. Of course, the 

 aboriginals, having no iron tools, could not do any very extensive 

 (juarrying ; they had therefore to content themsehes with using 

 the rock where it outcropped, perhaps breaking it up somewhat 

 by lighting fires on it antl then (juenching with cold water. 



But what a busy scene it must have been when all these 

 tjuarries, or rather chipping spots, were in full work. It is easy 

 to see by the size of the chips where the finishing touches were 

 put on a treasured axe-head, perhaps after days or weeks of 

 patient chipping. In one place I noticed where a she-oak tree 

 had been growing not far from an outcrop. Under the shelter of 

 this tree was evidently a favourite chipping place, for a circular 

 heap of chips extends fully five feet out from the trunk, and is 

 nearly two feet thick ; this extends right round the tree. The 

 tree, like the busy workers, has now perished. Could it but 

 speak, what an interesting story it could tell 1 The ferns 

 mentioned before are doing their best to hide some of the heaps 

 of chips, and present a very luxuriant growth. It is considered 

 by some that the majority of the stone axes found in Riverina 

 and northern A'ictoria came from Ml. William, though there 

 were other manufactories in uther parts of Victoria. The stone, 

 as you can see by the specimens exhibited, is darker and finer 

 grained than granite, and is usually termed diorite. The chips 

 have a very clear ring when struck together. 



