president’s ADDRESS — SECTION P. 
139 
caves in the granite ranges in the Kimberley country, in West Aus- 
tralia. drawings by the natives similar to those found by Sir George 
Grey on the Glenelg River in 1836. Mr. O’Donnell furnished me with 
a copy of a native drawing painted on the rocks at this place, depict- 
ing a goose, and on its body a small kangaroo. The body of the goose 
is in white, and that of the kangaroo in red pigments ; thus each is 
clearly distinguishable from the other. Mr. H. (Stock dale also informed 
me that he had discovered on or near the Alligator River about forty 
caves, within a radius of 100 miles, in which were numerous native 
drawings of skeletons of human beings, laid out in regular lines, and 
hieroglyphics. Some of these drawings are remarkable indeed. In 
some cases the paintings are on the roof or ceiling of the caves. In 
others on the sides or walls. The drawings consist of animals, birds, 
reptiles, men, women, canoes, canoes with men in them, Ac. Many of 
the drawings represent all the features of the face, several of them 
exhibiting European features and clothing. One very remarkable 
figure of a man has his arms crossed over his breast, with two little tufts 
or ornaments hanging from the crown of his head, and he has a neck- 
lace round his neck, the breast being covered with a device in straight 
lines, and the stomach with lines also at regular intervals. The face 
of this man, he said, was really well done. There were about 200 of 
these drawings at this place. He also found, not far from the place 
where Sir George Grey made his discoveries, some large caves full of 
native drawings, which he considered infinitely more wonderful, and 
thirty or forty times more numerous, than those named by Sir George. 
On the Darwin River, near the bar, where the salt water meets 
the fresh, is a native camp with some excellent drawings on the 
surrounding trees. On the overland track between the northern 
stations of Queensland and Port Darwin, among the coast ranges, 
are some frescoes on the walls of a cave, consisting of representations 
of alligators, snakes, turtles, and starfish ; but the chief of the 
drawings is the full, length figure of a great black fellow pursuing two 
little white men, who seem to be in such fear that their hair is standing 
on end ; a third is lying prostrate with a spear thrust through his 
body. On the Upper Glenelg River, in West Australia, are paintings 
of native dogs, kangaroos, hooded lizards, emus, and one of a black- 
fellow trying to spear another. Emily’s Gap, in the MacDonnell 
Ranges, in the centre of the continent, has been in times Jong past a 
favourite camping ground of the aborigines. Drawings are numerous 
here, and are coloured red, yellow, and black. The old men of the 
tribe at this place declare most emphatically that the rock paintings 
have had at one time an intelligent meaning, the significance of which 
has from the progress of time been entirely lost. On the Lizzie Creek 
are other native drawings. This place is about 100 miles west of 
Emily’s Gap. There are some large caves at Mount Skinner and 
Redan’ s Hill, in which are paintings of human hearts pierced in the 
centre by spears. The outline of the objects representing hearts has 
been delineated in red pigment, whilst the spear lias bceti done in 
black {PI ale G). These drawings consist of four separate representa- 
tions, one above another, and exhibit a degree of perfection scarcely 
to be anticipated from these wild and untutored natives. These 
examples are most interesting, as the hearts are thoroughly typical in 
form. On the Einke River are two trees marked in a similar manner. 
