Page:Dawson - Australian aborigines (1900).djvu/41

Rh oval, silicious stone, very hard, about six inches long, five inches broad, and three inches thick, waterwom, and slightly hollowed on one side, as if used for pounding some hard substance upon, and rounded on the other side, with a funnel-shaped hole in the centre two inches in diameter at the mouth and one inch deep, and having a much smaller hole of the same form on each side of the larger one and joining it. The other stone, which was found lying alongside, is of the same material, of cylindrical shape, six inches long by three inches in diameter, with one end pointed so as to fit into the centre hole of thp flat stone. The natives to whom these were shown said they had never seen anything like them before, and did not know their use. It is evident, however, that they were an aboriginal mortar and pestle for grinding shells for cement. The writer has them still in his possession.

A tool is made of the large bone of the hind leg of the forest kangaroo, sharpened to a chisel point. With this tool is cut the hole for the hand through the heavy shield, Malkar. A bodkin, or awl, is formed from the small bone of the hind leg of the forest kangaroo, ground to a fine point, and is used for sewing rugs. A finely-tapered sharp pin is made of the small leg bone of the brush kangaroo or opossum, and is essential for extracting thorns and splinters of wood from the hands and feet. Ti-tree pins are used for pegging out the skins of the forest kangaroo.

Knives are of various kinds and material, according to the purposes they are to serve. For skinning animals, marking rugs, and cutting the human skin to produce ornamental wens on the chest, back, and arms, knives are made of splinters of flint, or of sharpened mussel shells. The sea mussel shell found on the coast at Warrnambool is preferred, but freshwater mussel shells are also used. For skinning the ring-tailed opossum, and for dividing meat, the leaf of the grass-tree is used, and also the long front teeth of the bandicoot, with the jaw attached as a handle. The shells of the freshwater mussel and of the sea snail serve for spoons. Every person carries one. In making necklaces of the quills of the porcupine ant-eater, the holes at the roots of the quills are burned through with a wooden pin made red-hot in the fire.