12 



tures may have occurred during life and have formed' 

 the injury, or a part of the injuries, causing death, for it is 

 evident, as shown by a considerable number of the bones, 

 that broken limbs were not uncommon. Some of these 

 fractures had become united so satisfactorily that the result- 

 ing union would have done credit to a skilled surgeon. In 

 other cases the union, though very strong, had taken place- 

 in bad position. There was nothing in the character of the 

 fractures of the exhumed bones to suggest that they had 

 been broken for the purpose of obtaining the marrow. 



Associated with the human remains that were collected, 

 after the promiscuous removal of those first met with, were 

 bones of the dingo, including a perfect skull, and odd bones 

 of the kangaroo, opossum, bustard, pelican, turtle, and 

 fish/ 3 ' and a closer examination of the remains may possibly 

 reveal the presence of bones of other animals. Whether ~ 

 these had been actually buried with the human remains or, 

 belonging properly to the kitchen-midden layer, had accident- 

 ally become mixed with the latter cannot be stated with 

 certainty. A few articles of human manufacture were also» 

 found in like association with the skeletons, viz., some 

 hammer and anvil stones, one small quartzite implement 

 which may have been used as an engraving or boring tool, 

 two awls made from kangaroos' fibulae, a few stone chips 

 and a few blackened stones that had been used for cooking. 

 No emu remains have been so far identified, and not a 

 single fragment of iron, glass, pottery, or other white man's 

 material was seen. 



Resting immediately over a few — but only a very few— 

 of the skeletons were large oval slabs of a composite material 

 of the consistency of soft and friable mortar, and composed 

 of sand, white earth, small fragments of limestone, burnt 

 clay, broken Unio valves, and, occasionally, pieces of charcoal. 

 The largest of these slabs was 1 ft. 9 in. x 1 ft. 3 in., and 

 5 in. thick at the thickest part; another was 1 ft. 3 in. x 

 12 in. x 3 in. Fragments of others were also found. From 

 their composition they are evidently of artificial origin, but 

 as to their significance in relation to the interments I am 

 unable to speak. They may, however, come into the same 

 category as the "widows' caps," actual or conventional, that 

 were placed in the'graves by the natives higher up the river, 

 or the 'Kopai" stones similarly used in the Darling River 

 district. 



(3) It is curious that so few remains of fish were found when 

 we remember that it is a favourite food of the natives and that 

 the adjacent river abounds with them. 



