MAGNETIC IRON ORE. 
343 
for several hours. The result was, glistening black 
sand resembling iron filings, and a mixture of these 
gold scales, probably mica, but which remain to be 
analysed. ( Vide Appendix B.) While at this operation 
of digging, a number of bees of the ordinary size came 
round me, and I could observe them alighting on the 
sand to enter burrows they had made. They were of 
two colours, green and yellow, the latter predominat- 
ing, and barred with black stripes. A few inches 
underground, a cocoon of the tender leaves of the 
Stereospermum sj). — a tree with pink-white blossom 
— was found neatly wrapped round some scented yel- 
low substance, having the faintest taste of honey. It 
may have been liquid wax, as the natives told me that 
the bees ultimately transport this preparation to their 
hives. But the curious thing was to see it lying in the 
wet sand, and almost in water, probably put there to 
keep it cool from the hot winds. The natives dig wells 
in the sand and take their drinking water from them. 
At first we imagined they had been digging for gold, as 
numerous little pits were in the ground, each with a 
tumblerful of water; but we observed that the natives 
filled their earthen " gurrahs " from them in preference 
to taking water from the running stream close by. 
The strong barricade of sticks and logs placed 
round the villages had numerous openings for en- 
trance. At night these were closed by pulling thorny 
bushes into them : and during; the dav one had to 
stoop to gain entrance. Even their women, when 
carrying a pitcher of water on their heads, were ob- 
liged to go on their knees to pass inside the village. 
The huts had not room for a camp-bed, not being of 
greater diameter than seven feet ; but, luckily, at this 
