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noticed amongst aborigines in all parts of the globe, to figure 

 natural objects is also inherent to the natives of Australia, They 

 have no particular meaning beyond the attempt at imitation ; 

 but because flat rock-faces and rock-shelters are not available in 

 this semi-desert land, it seems to me that these slips of bark are 

 adapted by the talented of the tribe to display their skill upon. 

 From the explanation given to me by the native who made the 

 etchings, or at least who possessed them, the artist intends to be 

 a landscape painter. No. 1 he gave me as representing his 

 " country," which means probably the hills and valleys of the 

 Fraser Range. In No. 2 the principal figure represents a tree, 

 and No. 3 is intended for another part of the country. 



There is this broad distinction between the rock-paintings and 

 the bark-etchings, that in the first case single objects only are 

 selected for representation, whereas in tlie bark-etchings an 

 attempt is made to reproduce more complex subjects. 



The markings are produced by means of a stylus of hard wood 

 upon the freshly-peeled bark. (See " Worma" in Vocabulary.) 



CARVINGS. 



Under this heading I also include the markings by charring 

 witli a pointed ember, the execution of which T observed on 

 several occasions at the Fraser Range. I have seen Kondells, 

 Tallas, and Unains marked in this way, and, as far as my ex- 

 perience goes, this method of ornamenting is the one most preval- 

 ent amongst the tribes met with at the South-Eastern point of 

 our journey. The Balgas are frequently only jaggedly incised by 

 means of a sharp stone, without the least attempt at design. The 

 markings of the message-sticks, when not made with a pointed 

 ember, are cut with a sharp-edged piece of flint, and sometimes 

 very fine lines are produced in this way, as shown in fig. 3, pi. 

 15. None of all this carving can be regarded as very artistic. 



It struck me as being very remarkable that not a single imple- 

 ment or weapon found with any of the aborigines met with from 

 Everard Range to Fraser Range was in the least ornamented 

 with carvings of any kind, with the exception of a Yilbar seen 

 near Fraser Range. 



Further North, however, and particularly in the Murchison 

 District, nearly everything I saw was more or less carved, except 

 the spears and the boomerangs ; but having seen only four 

 boomerangs altogether, I will not assert that they are always 

 without engraving. Not only is carving very common among 

 this tribe, but the designs are mostly of very superior execution, 

 and often very regularly outlined. The two Meros (pi. 14) are 

 very good examples, particularly No. 3, and the shield (pi. 18) is 

 perhaps one of the most accurately finished pieces of native 

 workmanship that can be found. 



