126 J. Cockburn — Petrographs in tlie caves of Kaimur Bange. [July & Aug. 



Shahganj group. Leckunia, five miles south-east of liajpur, Sorhow 

 cave and a great number in Kandakote itself and in the vicinity. 



Bijaygarh group. (1) Harni Harna, a mile from the fortress of Bijay- 

 garh, (2) Dharan Ghat near Peepurdar, (3) Gomunwa, (4) Ghormangur, 

 two miles south of Mow Kalian bridge. 



The Leckunia rock shelter was the first Mr. Cockburn visited and it 

 proved to be one of the most interesting. The following are a few of the 

 objects depicted on its walls : figure of a man strangling a python, five 

 human figures apparently dancing, a man throwing what Mr. Cockburn 

 supposes to be the wonguim or " come-back boomerang," a bull bison, a 

 savage spearing a sambar hind and many others. In the Sorhow ghat 

 cave, Mr. Cockburn found more than a thousand agate and other imple- 

 ments, a selection from which was exhibited at the meeting. A number 

 of pieces of hsematite and a flat obtusely pointed pencil of chalk were also 

 found. On grinding these up with oil, Mr. Cockburn was enabled to pro- 

 duce colours exactly like those used in the cave drawings. This shelter 

 also yielded a number of pieces of pottery and fragments of split and 

 charred bones. In the Ghat shelter there were no drawings of animals, but 

 yards of curious scroll-like characters which look like writing. A speci- 

 men of these characters Mr. Cockburn has sent down to Dr. Rajendralala 

 Mitra to decipher. 



In discussing the history and ethnology of the Mirzapur district, Mr. 

 Cockburn states that the aboriginal tribes inhabiting the district at 

 the present day are Kols, Gonds, Cheroos, Baigas, Khurwars, Bhoyas 

 or Bhoinhars, Bhuttias, Domes, Moosahirs, Chamars and Manjis. The 

 Cheroos, Bhoyas and Bhuttias are said to be branches of the same family, 

 and are most likely the authors of the petrographs. The petrographs 

 themselves Mr. Cockburn does not consider to be more than six or seven 

 centuries old, and he is disposed to think that many of them will prove to 

 be of even later date. 



The author is preparing his paper for publication in the Journal, 

 Part II. 



In the discussion that followed the reading of Mr. Cockburn's paper, 

 great doubt was expressed as to whether drawings made merely by haematite 

 on the surface of sandstone could last in such perfect preservation for so 

 long a time as was supposed by Mr. Cockburn. 



