GEOLOGICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ETHERIDGE. 5 1 
been laid in the prone positon. Not the least interesting fact was 
the variety of articles placed with the deceased,' according to 
aboriginal custom. Loose in the superincumbent earth we found 
an ingenious conversion of a piece of forked iron into a probable 
spear-head, a pointed stick, and some loose pieces of timber. 
Underneath the skeleton in various positions there occurred an 
old comb in two pieces, a thimble, a large iron spoon, the 
blade of another spoon, a small bullet mould, handle and 
portion of the tin plate-work of an old “quart-pot” or “billy- 
can,” fragment of a clay tobacco pipe-stem, top of an old 
metal powder or shot-case, containing shot and a few shirt 
buttons, and last, but by no means the least curious, a castor 
oil bottle, still containing what seems to be a portion of the oil, 
— this was placed directly under the head. 
Mr. Maurice Gorman subsequently conducted us across the 
Wollondilly to a slight rise above “Larry Gorman’s Fat,” Parish 
of Nattai, on the Nattai side of the Wollondilly, County of 
Camden, and a little below the junction of the rivers. Here we 
viewed the burial place of a “ Chief ” of the late local tribe, the 
interment having taken place about fifteen years ago. It lies 
contiguous to one of three marked trees placed in a triangle, the 
longest side or base of the latter being half a chain in length, and 
bearing north-west and south-east. The trees are still erect, 
although the carvings are more or less obliterated by bush fires, 
but they seem to have been chiefly in zig-zag lines, and of course 
cut with an iron tomahawk. The heavy rain prevailing at the 
time deterred us from investigating this burial. It is situated 
on either Portions C. 98/70 or C. 98/105, Parish of Nattai. 
This concluded our investigations in Burragorang proper, but 
on returning to Thirlmere, we diverted our course near Vander- 
ville, across the Werriberri Creek to “ The Hermitage,” the 
estate of Mr. W. G. Hayes, Parish of Burragorang, County of 
Camden. Through the kindness of Mr. Hayes we were allowed 
to examine a much more extensive burial-ground than either of 
the preceding. Here, on a small plateau above and to the east 
of the Waterfall Creek, a branch of the Werriberri, and behind, 
or to the south of the homestead, are four graves of various sizes 
distinguished by four carved trees, more or less in a state of 
dilapidation. There does not appear to have been any geometrical 
form of arrangement assumed in the placing of these graves, 
unless it be a roughly rhomboidal one. We expected, from 
current report, to find five graves here, but four only rewarded 
our efforts. Three of the graves and three carved trees are more 
or less in a north-west and south-east line. Starting at the 
north-west corner, the figures on a She-oak (Casuarina) have 
been partially obliterated, ten feet from this is the first grave, 
and fourteen feet from the latter is another carved She-oak (Plate 
