298 R. H. MATHEWS, ESQ., L.S., ON 
9 feet 4 inches in length, with its head toward the ground, 
cut in the same manner. The marking on the remainder of 
the trees shown in the plate consists of the usual zigzag, 
lozenge, oval, and other devices. Growing near these was 
a small box tree, along the bole of which a wavy band about 
2 inches wide had been cut with a tomahawk through the 
bark, extending from near the ground to a height of 
about 25 feet, representing a tree which had been struck by 
lightning; this tree is not shown in the plate. 
DRAWINGS ON THE GROUND. (Plate X.) 
Earthen figures formed in high relief, or engraven upon 
the turf, representing human beings, different animals, 
implements, and the curious designs called yowan by the 
Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri tribes, are found chiefly at those 
places where the youths are admitted into the status of 
manhood. Where they have been observed in other 
localities the circumstances would lead us to suppose that 
they were connected with some tribal myth or superstition, 
or were used on festive occasions. 
Native drawings on the ground consist of several kinds. 
Some are first outlined by laymg down logs, bark, bushes, 
or stones, to a certain height, and then covering them with 
earth to complete the figure. This was obviously done 
because the natives had very primitive tools for digging; 
in large drawings, raising a considerable quantity of earth 
would require much time and labour, especially if the 
ground were hard or clayey. In other instances the figures 
are formed entirely of the loose earth heaped up so as to 
resemble the horizontal image of the required object. 
Another kind of drawing consists of representations of 
men, animals, and devices in various patterns cut into the 
surface of the ground; a nick or groove from 2 to 3 inches 
wide and about 2 inches deep being dug in the turf along 
the outline of each figure. These grooves were dug with 
tomahawks, or with flat pieces of wood on which an edge 
had been formed. Other figures again are merely drawn 
upon the sand with a stick held in the hand of the 
operator. 
In the annexed plate I have reproduced some of the 
eround drawings copied by myself at the same Bora camp 
as that containing the trees already dealt with. Figs. 19 to 
45 will fairly represent the different patterns of yowan carved 
