AUSTRALIA AND SOME OTHER COUNTRIES. 119 
roof of the buried habitation. Some out-houses were completely 
buried under sand drift to a depth of 10 or 12 feet. The writer 
ascertained that the cottage had been actually inhabited three 
ears before. The cottage has now disappeared, very large quan- 
tities of the sand dune being carted away every day. 
While dealing with materials of this kind perhaps gene 
experience may be recorded. It was that of a miner. 
sedate and devout Highlander, and his tale is very simple. He hall 
penetrated for some yards through surface accumulation when he 
came to gravel ; there, to his amazement, some 10 or 12 feet down, 
me- 
rang, but a genuine, a veritable pipe—the clay pipe of commerce 
used for smoking. ow, for a moment, this 4 seem rete 
perplexing, but only for a moment. For if the floods in the 
Hunter have been teaching us what may happen in the way of 
rapidly burying objects to great depths, so also the nas rest 
n supplying evidence of some strange things that ha 
connected with the clay pipe was supplied through certain well- 
known phenomena attending droughts. The earth cracks right 
down in thousands of places. The pipe has dropped into one of 
these cracks and found its way to the vel, which, naturally 
enough, formed a br in the continuity of the rent, at least 
obliterated, and to all seaentainiss excepting the clay Pipe, id 
whole soil has lain undisturbed for a eologic epoch. to date, 
direct evidence for a geologic antiquity on behalf of the Australian 
aborigines seems to be brag scanty. Special attention to this 
of miners who have washed the gravels down to the bed- 
innumerable — gullies—the non-discovery of relics oat 
ily have been accounted for ; but in this country the spots most 
likely ree conceal ia hare been laid bare.” ’— Aborigines of Vie- 
toria, vol. 1, pp. 364-5. 
