58 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



bone they used for knocking the Limpets and Haliotis shells off 

 with, as well as smaller sharp stones, splintered off from a larger 

 piece, probably by pouring water on a heated stone. These they 

 evidently used to cut up their food with, as remains of Kangaroos, 

 Wallabies, &c., are found at these old feasting-places, as well as 

 shells, and occasionally stones .are found that they used for 

 crushing and grinding up certain seeds, with which they made 

 paste for food. 



It is interesting to notice how these ancient middens, if we 

 may so call them, show us how the sea coast is gradually altering. 

 For instance, we may find a large deposit of shells, whereas in the 

 sea opposite there are no rocks on which the shell-fish could live, 

 showing conclusively that the rocks were there formerly, but have 

 been worn away by the action of the sea. On the shores of 

 Port Phillip Bay much of the coast on the western side has been 

 so eaten away, and therefore most of the shell deposits, as left by 

 the natives, have disappeared, but on the eastern side they may 

 still be found, and are almost continuous, in varying quantities, 

 depending, of course, on the amount of rock exposed at low tide 

 opposite, but they do not seem to be found to any considerable 

 depth, there being, for instance, no sand hummocks to bury them, 

 and I do not think that the depth at which these old fireplaces 

 are found gives us much clue as to the time the natives have 

 been here, as the bay is gradually extending, through the action 

 of the waves, and therefore the natives would have their middens 

 shifted further and further back as the sea encroached. 



When visiting our sea shores I have heard over and over again 

 that the fact of these shell deposits being where they are show 

 that the shores have risen, and that what was once a shell-covered 

 sea bottom is now dry ground and many feet above high-water 

 mark, and it is probably thai many of my hearers may be of the 

 same opinion, and I have written these few brief notes and brought 

 the specimens with me this evening so that it may be an inducement 

 to them to make further research when visiting these interesting 

 localities. Anywhere round our coast line they will probably find 

 ample evidences of what has been stated, and if they can write 

 short notes on anything of interest they may find so much the 

 better. 



Shells which may have been occasionally blown a short distance 

 inland from the beach are easily recognized from those brought by 

 the natives, as they are much worn by being washed to and fro 

 in the surf, their thinner parts being often worn away through 

 abrasion, mostly on the apex, and Haliotis shells are invariably 

 broken, but such shells are generally scattered, and rarely found in 

 any quantity at one place. 



[The paper was illustrated by a series of lantern slides. — Ed. 

 Vict. iVal.] 



