192 RAMBLES TO CHAMPION BAY 



discharge more water underground than above. The 

 beds have lost their high banks long before they reach the 

 marsh, and where we crossed them are very shallow, 

 showing that the water can rarely or never rise to a 

 height of five feet. Many miles of the country was 

 covered with reeds in which "black snakes" and "whip- 

 snakes," as the colonists call them, were dangerously 

 numerous, for both these species are very poisonous. 



Looking westward we saw some higher ground, of 

 cliff-like appearance, with a few prominent elevations, two 

 of which we took to be the East and the West Mount 

 Magnets, but which were probably West Mount Magnet 

 and Farmer's Mount. The country between these eleva- 

 tions was sterile, with but few trees on it, and nearly 

 abandoned altogether by living creatures, but on the ridge 

 of some hills we found a couple of moloch lizards, known 

 on the west side as "mountain devils." They were 

 basking in the sun, and according to the report of the 

 blackboys, who found numerous tracks of these strange 

 creatures, they must be abundant here. 



On the nth we crossed a ridge of low hills, with cliffs 

 on the north-east side, which were covered with native 

 drawings, or devices. Similar drawings had been seen 

 on the vertical portion of some of the rocks enclosing the 

 river beds, but here they were more numerous and 

 elaborate in design, representing native scenes, hunts, and 

 corroborees, and also animals, birds, fish, and even insects, 

 with wonderful accuracy, although with great roughness of 

 execution. From these drawings we perceived that there 

 must be several animals in the country we had passed 

 through which we had not met with. For instance, a 

 large kangaroo was well delineated, and a bird of the 

 eagle species — perhaps an eagle-hawk — neither of which 

 had been seen by us. 



The drawing is performed by scratching the face of the 

 rock with some sharp instrument, probably a splintered 

 shell, bone rubbed to a point, or a piece of chipped flint, 

 thus removing the discoloured face of the rock, and 

 showing in strong contrast the lighter shade beneath. A 



