184 Annals of the South African Museum. 



this "fuba" game — -"a game well known from Egypt to the 

 Limpopo " — in small holes made in the ground. 



I have photographs, presented by Mr. A. H. Exton, of two " fuba 

 stones" with ten and eight holes respectively. They were dis- 

 covered in Mudza-Macequeze, not far from Umtali, whence Dr. 

 Eandall-Maciver's specimens came. Having been found near an 

 alleged old mine — old workings they are called — they were ascribed 

 to Phoenician workmanship. 



Near to, or together with, these " fuba stones " other relics were 

 found in the shape of alleged copper, if not gold, castings, which, 

 however, on examination here, proved to be the clay nozzles of the 

 African natives' bellows filled with iron slag. 



It is not, therefore, too much to ask the reader to picture to him- 

 self, without too great a stretch of imagination, the native smiths or 

 miners of the period indulging in a game of " fuba " after, or perhaps 

 during, their spell of work. 



Yet the origin of these "fuba stones" and the game connected 

 with them appears to be of great antiquity. It is quite within the 

 range of probability that a connection will be proved between these 

 cupuliform holes and the "cups," " crescets," "cups and rings," 

 " schalen " or " napfchen," " pierres a ecuelles," or " pierres a 

 cupules," &c., known to occur in the British Isles, Denmark, 

 Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Corsica, Northern Italy, even in 

 India. In Europe these " cups and rings " are usually connected 

 with the bronze period," but their object, or raison d'etre, has never 

 been satisfactorily explained. I may add that in Europe these 

 more or less rectangular series of cupuliform holes have often addi- 

 tional concentric circles, or are often connected with each other by 

 grooves. It is alleged by one of my correspondents that in one of 

 the " fubas " found in Macequeze were cut lines uniting various 

 holes and also others on the sides, directed to the holes. 



But the mortars or querns, hammers, pounders or ''fubas" used 

 still by Kaffirs have, in all likelihood, no connection with the 

 palaeolithic or neolithic ages as revealed in South Africa, and 

 even Africa. They merely prove that people were then familiar 

 with the use of metals yet resorted to stone when occasion arose 

 or demanded it. 



It is claimed, however, although on slender evidence, that Kaffirs 

 used lately, and thus presumably manufactured, rude stone imple- 



* On the West Coast of Africa " fubas " made of bronze are known from Benin. 

 I saw lately a wooden fuba board from Katanga, North-Western Rhodesia, used by 

 the natives for playing two kinds of game. 



