xl 



position that they were tuimed under by 

 the plough, and the depth being increa*- 

 e-d by the action of worms during the 

 process of their workings, over a period 

 of 50 yeans. The bank in question was, 

 no doubt, a camping-ground of the East 

 Coast tribes during the summer, a.nd 

 was used by them as a fishing stat'oa. 

 where they captured their fish in -^he 

 deep reach of the river, and procur»^d 

 the large fresh-water mussel so common 

 on its banks. There are no flints about 

 this bank ; but around a smaller lagoon, 

 half a mile distant, there are plenty of 

 the same character as those found. Some 

 yeai-s ago other specimens were found on 

 a rising piece of ground, about half a 

 mile to the south of this lagoon. The 

 choice of these banks a,s oampi tig- 

 grounds may have been foT safety txir- 

 poses, so that a look-out could be main- 

 tained from them ; but this theory is 

 perhaps not very tenable, when we con- 

 sider that there is suppased to have oaen 

 but one tribe affecting this district. .\s 

 winter resorts they would naturally 

 have been chosen to avoid the severe 

 frosts, which grip all low-lying flats on 

 the Break o' Day plains with a band of 

 iron. The siab-soil in the bank I wi ire 

 of consists of a remarkable brown clpy,, 

 which has not been met with in any 

 other part of the district, and a speci- 

 men of which is enclosed for the inspec- 

 tion of any geologist at the meeting." 



Remarking on Colonel Legge's paper, 

 Mr. R. M. Johnston stated that the Tas- 

 manian natives derived a great part of 

 their food from shell-fish, which in 

 many cases accounted for the heaps of 

 shells near the sea shcwe. The nar 

 tives in all cases fed upon the kind of 

 shell-fish which was most plentiful at 

 any particular spot. 



The secretary also read the following 

 paper, which he had pirepared, dealing 

 with seme Tasmanian aboriginal waddies, 

 or throwing sticks: — 



Since the last meeting I have had 

 brought to me a very interesting ethno- 

 logical specimen o.f a. Tasmanian aborigi- 

 nal waddy, or throwing stick. The 

 Tasmanian abcri^inal — the last aborigi- 

 nal passing away in 1876 — anything from 

 an ethnological point relating to this 

 now extinct race is always of more thaoi 

 ordinary interest. The only weapons 

 used by the aboriginas of Tasmania in 

 fighting were the spear and the waddy. 

 The waddy was a short piece of wood, 

 about two feet long, seldom reaching to 

 three feet, notched towards the grasp, 

 and slightly rounded at the point, and 

 was made of the tea-tree (leptosmermum) 

 and of the young wood of (pittosporum 

 bioolor). For the specimen now exhibit- 

 ed the Museum is indebted to Mi*. H. 

 Stannard, of the Ouse, who on present- 

 ing it, informed me that a party, 

 on digging a ditch in the Brown 

 Marsh, near Lake Echo, came across, 

 about three feet from the surface, three 

 or four of these waddies. My theoiry 

 as to how these waddies got in that posi- 

 tion is that at some time this marsh was 

 one of our lakes, and swarming with 

 wild wateir fowl. The natives out hunt- 

 ing, throwing these waddies at the wild 

 fowl, would, owing to the heavy nature 

 of the wood, find them sink, many being 

 lost in this way. In my opinion many 

 of these very interesting tin-owing sticks 

 may be found by careful observers. The 

 thanks of the members of the society are 

 due to Mr. Stannard foir the presenta- 

 tion of this interesting relic of a now 

 extinct race, and his promise to forward 

 the otheT specimens to the Museum. 



The secretary also read a paper pre- 

 pared by W. D. Campbell, A.K.C.. L.S., 

 L.F.G.S., etc., Assistaait Geologist, " 

 West Australia, entitled "Notes on the 

 aboriginal dancing boards of Westeirn 

 Australia." 



The motion was passed amid applause, 

 and the meeting; terminated. 



