Tlte Stone Ages of South Africa. 103 



rendered sufficiently straight." But he proceeds to figure two such 

 portable stones the groove of which, owing to the tapering at each 

 end and greater depth in the centre, could not have fulfilled this 

 purpose. 



Schonlaud suggests that a stone which had no less than eight 

 grooves was used for rope-making. " It reminded me of a wooden 

 tool which rope-makers use. They let the strands, which they wish 

 to combine into a rope, run along the grooves, and while it is held 

 steady the turning wheel can only twist the strands between the 

 wheel and this implement." '' 



But what of the stones with only one groove, or of the more or 

 less cylindrical ones in which the grooves are not parallel, but are 

 unevenly spaced, and are sometimes found on one-half only of the 

 convex surface ? 



The explanation of these grooves needs no such speculative 

 theory, for the reasons I have given. I have examined a very 

 large number of these relics. They have all served as whetstones 

 for awls or bodkins, or for rounding into shape, or sharpening 

 the bone part of the shaft of arrows; and whereas the sharpening 

 of awls was often done on any rock in situ, the whetting-stone for 

 bone shafts is always of a portable size — at least I know of no other. 



BoxE Tools other than Knives, Awls, or Arrow-shafts. 



The bone tools known hitherto seem to be restricted to the 

 purposes I have explained. 



Occasionally, however, we find bone relics of another kind. 



Fig. 184 of PI. XXV. represents the tusk of a hippopotamus, split 

 longitudinally in the centre. It wuU, however, be seen from the 

 figure that not only one of the ends is rounded, but also that the 

 other has been thinned for prehension by a small hand — a peculiar 

 feature of the Bush people. The hacking necessitated for that 

 reduction has been plainly made by a stone implement, and the 

 weapon, owing to its weight and sharp edge, is not at all a 

 contemptible one. The example was found at great depth in a 

 river bank. Tusks of hippopotamus usually split longitudinally in 

 the manner here showm after long exposure. But we have in the 

 Collection a sub-crescentic one, smaller than Fig. 184, the edges of 

 which have been artificially pared by grinding or polishing in such a 

 manner as to make it a very useful tool for braying skins, an 

 explanation which is, however, speculative. 



* Rep. S. Afr. Assoc. Adv. Sc, 1903, p. 306. 



