THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 57 



less covered with dense scrub, large deposits of shells, consisting 

 principally of Limpets, Patella tramoserica, Cockles, Natica 

 plumbea, Haliotis, H. ncevosa, Mussels, Mytilus latus, Oysters, 

 Ostrea edulis, also Purpura, succlncta and Scutus anatinus. Then, 

 again, as these sand hummocks gradually get blown away by the 

 wind, deposits or strata of shell, together with soil which has been 

 mostly darkened and discoloured by the action of fire, will be 

 noticed exposed at varying distances from the present surface ; 

 these shell remains again collect at the bottom of the hollows so 

 formed, with any stones that may have been used for the old fire- 

 place. These again get covered up by sand, but the deposits so 

 formed are easily recognized by the absence of any sand dis- 

 coloured by fire, and also the more delicate parts of the shells, 

 especially in Haliotis, have crumbled away through being exposed 

 to the weather, whereas in deposits left where thrown by the 

 natives, most of the Haliotis shells, though partially decomposed, 

 are entire. The Cockles and similar shells have all been broken, 

 so as to extract their contents, and it is seldom that a perfect one 

 is found, but the Haliotis and Limpet shells are of course unbroken, 

 except that the latter have a small portion of the rim always 

 broken off, where the natives struck them with a sharpened stone 

 or jagged end of a bone to disengage them from the rock to 

 which they clung. 



The natives generally made their fires in shallow hollows, and 

 when the fire was well started threw stones into the flames, and 

 when a sufficient number had been thrown in and thoroughly 

 healed, they took the stones out, and placing their food in the 

 hollow, covered it with the heated stones and so cooked it. A.t 

 Sorrento dune-sandstone was the principal kind used for this 

 purpose, and these stones soon became blackened by the action 

 of the fire, and many of the remains of those made on firm soil 

 may still be seen, but the burnt stones of those made in the sand 

 hummocks have long ago been scattered from their original 

 position by the action of the wind, and round these old fireplaces 

 is where the shells are found, although, as before stated, many 

 large deposits of shells may now be found among the sand hum- 

 mocks without any sign of a fireplace, that having been destroyed 

 by wind ; but, if originally made on firm soil, the remains of the 

 fireplace will generally be found. The natives evidently did not 

 roast the shell-fish to any extent in their shells, as very few of 

 these are much burnt ; they probably put them in the fire just 

 long enough to kill the occupant and make it easy to extract, 

 although it may have been subjected to more cooking after- 

 wards. 



Near these old fireplaces, some of which appear to have been 

 used for a considerable time, judging by the large accumulation 

 of shells, native weapons, also the stones and jagged pieces of 



