357 



NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL STONE 

 WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS. 



By R. Etheridge, Jun. 

 (Paleontologist and Librarian, Geological Survey of New 

 South Wales, and Paleontologist to the Australian 

 Museum.) 



(Plates xxix.-xxxvi.) 



xvi. — Tomahawks and Axes. 



It was explained in my last Paper*, communicated to this 

 Society on February 25th last, that for an opportunity of describ- 

 ing the present fine series of stone tomahawks and axes, thanks 

 are primarily due to Sir W. Macleay, Mr. C. W. De Vis, Dr. J. 

 C. Cox, and others to be severally mentioned under their 

 respective specimens. 



In such descriptions much difficulty is experienced from the 

 want of some satisfactory method of classification, whether it be 

 from the point of view of their physical characters, mode of pre- 

 paration, or apparent use by those who employed them in their 

 daily avocations. At present, no such classification exists, so far 

 as I know, nor do I at present feel prepared to propose a 

 permanent one. The difficulties attending this will be touched 

 on more at length on another occasion. No doubt the most 

 convenient place to attempt some such classification would be an 

 extensive museum collection, any series formed by a private 

 collector being of too limited a nature for the object under 

 consideration. With the view, however, of simplifying the 

 descriptions which follow, I have tentatively grouped the imple- 

 ments under the succeeding three groups, and two other subsidiary 

 sections, divisible into various types. 



* Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, February 25th, 1891, p. iii. 



