CH. VI.] TOMBS ON THE SAND HILLS. 253 



of decomposed felspar. At the base of those hills I found, as 

 elsewhere, pebbles consisting chiefly of a splintery quartz 

 rock, in which the grains of sand or quartz were firmly em- 

 bedded in a siliceous cement. On the northern side of that 

 ridge, I observed at some distance an isolated clump of trees 

 resembling pines or cypresses, growing very thick, and the 

 foliao-e was of a brig-hter green than that of the callitris trees 

 which they most resemble ; unlike them, however, they 

 had no dead lower branches, but were thick and green to 

 the ground. I regretted much that I had not an opportu- 

 nity of examining them closely. In the Darling, westward 

 of this camp, was a bed of round concretions — all about an 

 inch in diameter. They were dark coloured, and when first 

 taken out, had a foetid smell. 



July 1. — Pursuing the left bank of the newly discovered 

 channel, we found that it embraced some low rising grounds, 

 which, ever since we had made Macculloch's range, had 

 been the limits of the polygonum flats, along the left bank 

 also of the Darling. On the tops of some of those hills, I 

 observed what appeared to be the tombs of the natives. They 

 consisted of a circular trench of about 30 feet in diameter, 

 the grave being covered by a low mound in the centre ; and 

 they were always dug in the highest parts of hills. On 

 observing this preference of heights as burying places, I 

 remembered, that it was on the summit of the hill, where 

 I fixed our depot on the Darling, that we saw the numerous 

 white balls and so many graves.* The balls were shaped as 

 in the accompanying wood-cut, and were made of lime. 



Casts of a head. Bolls. 



* M. de la Roque says of the Bedouin Arabs of Mount Carmel, " that the 

 frequent change of the place of their encampment, not admitting their having 

 places set apart for burial, they always choose a place somewhat elevated for 

 that purpose, and at some distance from the camp. They make a grave there, 



