56 THE OVEN-MOUNDS OF THE ABORIGINES IN VICTORIA. 
remains. Another portion of the mound was pierced and searched, 
but still without success. Returning to the portion first tried, the 
spade was driven into the open side, when several bones fell down 
and skull, as well as a number of small bones, all being evidently 
the remains of a human being. The skull was nearly erect, and 
vertebre. The arm bones were found at the sides, the hands 
having been doubled up so that the bones of the fingers were near 
the neck and cheeks. 
On surveying another of the large oven-mounds which are 
numerous about Mortlake, the writer’s attention was arrested by 
the presence of three rather large stones, so placed together upon 
an oven-mound as to indicate that they must have been designedly 
placed where they were. On removing these three stones another 
was found lying across the skeleton, as well as from the appearance 
of some of the bones, it seemed that an attempt had been made to 
consume the body with fire. In both cases the leading idea 
seemed to be to huddle the remains into the smallest space; 
the second case the body was laid on the left side, so that the arm 
bones were found like a bundle of sticks together. 
DisTRIBUTION OF OVEN-MOUNDS. 
The necessity for water accounts at once for so many oven- 
mounds being situated near creeks, rivers, lagoons, and lakes. 
encampments, and these would be continued the longer in use. 
The forests afforded not only food and shelter, but also the impor- 
ays 
