Ij<i'\t(i.\, An .Ihoritjiiwl Burial Mmintl 



[Vict. Nat. 

 Vol, 73 



plastered. Then soil and watcrworn stones from the surrounding 

 flat had heen piled over and around the burial. The depressions 

 caused by their excavations can still he traced close by. The appear- 

 ance of the mound from a distance is extremely like the prehistoric 

 ones upon the Dorset Downs in England. 



Air. Webb stopped further carting and then took photos of the 

 scene. One of these, a close-up of the clay layer, shows that the 

 original dome must have been about eight feet in diameter, but in 

 the passage of time this had collapsed in places and had assumed 

 a shape remarkably like the coast line of northern Australia. This 

 can be seen in the photo. Many years have elapsed since the dis- 

 covery, and weather and stock have worn down the excavation and 

 merged it with the remainder of the mound. 



The Excavated Burial Mound 



The question arises: What was the purpose of the aborigines in 

 covering the remains with a layer of clay? Eortuuately we have the 

 evidence of an early settler who observed an identical burial by a 

 lower-Murray tribe. After the bodies had been covered with a laver 

 of plastic clay the old men of the tribe sat around them in a circle. 

 Some distance further back the remaining men of the tribe formed 

 another circle, and beyond them again were all the women and 

 children. Under the hot sun the wet clay began to dry, and, after 

 numerous inspections, the old men detected a crack. Sighting along 

 this crack the)' pointed in the direction indicated and announced to 

 the tribe that the evil magic which had caused the deaths came 

 from there. A war party was sent off in that direction and the first 

 strange aborigine encountered was killed and his kidney fat 

 extracted. The party then returned with revenge and honour satis- 

 fied. In the meantime the remainder of the tribe had completed the 

 bitrial mound. 



The Club will be pleased to know that Mr. Webb has prevented 

 anv further destruction of this most interesting relic of the blacks. 



