98 



Annals of the South African Museum. 



This is the more surprising considering that these awls were used 

 for stitching skins together — which is undoubtedly the case — for the 

 aborigines had close at hand the hard, long thorns of several Acacia- 

 trees, which would have proved quite as effective. But custom dies 

 hard, as the whole account of our South African neolithic industry 

 proves but too well. 



An examination of these awls or bodkins shows that those from 

 the cave-shelters of the seaboard are of a better finish and also the 



Fig. 9. x ^. 



most effective, cj. Cuts 3 to 7 of Fig. 193. The long awls of 

 Fig. 194 are made of the hollow wing-bones of sea-birds, and two 

 of these are the only objects of stone or bone known to me that 

 show decoration. 



Cut 1 of Fig. 193 is very massive. Its perfectly smoothed 

 anterior part is difficult to explain, but it would prove useful in 

 smoothing the hole of the ! kwe, several of which were found 

 in the necropolis where this boring tool was discovered. 



Cuts 6 and 7 of Fig. 193 might have served equally well as arrow 



