BY R. ETHER1DGE, JUN. 33 



supposing the knife to be so held. The length of the knives, 

 complete, is respectively eight inches, and seven and a half. The 

 surface of the flints is smooth and shining. When describing the 

 Mika-knives a short time ago, T surmised that they were also used 

 for other purposes, and I have since been informed that such 

 knives are employed in fighting, practically in a kind of duello. 



The glass knife (PI. vi., fig. 1), also from "Northern Queensland," 

 is exceedingly interesting, consisting of a small piece of bottle-glae-s 

 chipped to an oval form, and mounted with black gum to a small 

 wooden handle, which Mr. F. Turner, of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, tells me is probably made of the Acacia sentis, a very porous 

 wood. The latter is to some extent split, and conveys the idea that 

 the glass is inserted between the halves, which are also partially 

 wound round with fine string of native manufacture. The entire 

 weapon is six inches in length, but the glass blade extends beyond 

 the gum mounting for one inch only. Several similar knives are 

 figured* by Mr. T. Wilson from Southern Utah and other 

 localities, hafted with wood, the attachment being made with 

 bitumen. One is flint, and the others are made of jasper. Another 

 knife of obsidian has the base wrapped in otter skin. The general 

 appearance of these knives closely resembles those now described, 

 particularly the glass knife. f 



The quartzite knife is granular and deep flesh-coloured (PI. v., 

 fig. 1). It is very interesting as being intermediate in form and 

 character between the Mika-knives, | formerly described by me, and 

 a spear-head from Torres Straits, in the Australian Museum, to 

 which my attention was called by my colleague Mr. Brazier. That 

 it is a knife, however, appears tolerably certain from the form of the 



* A Study of Prehistoric Anthropology. — Handbook for Beginners. U.S. 

 Nat. Mm. Report, 1887-88, p. 639, f. 14, p. 641, f. 75-78. 



f Glass has probably been used by the Aborigines for a long time. The 

 York's Peninsula Tribe made their knives of shells and afterward of glass, 

 "for they related that they used occasionally to find bottles on the beach 

 many years before the whites came to reside in South Australia." Curr's 

 Australian Race, 1886, n., p. 143. 



X Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 1890, v. (2), Pt. 2, PI. 9 and PI. II, figs. 

 8 and 9. 



3 



