ETHNOLOGY. 397 



(Bodrogkoz.) The conchoidal fracture of our obsidian is more curved 

 than Id the Mexican mineral; our knives are usually not so long and 

 straight, our arrowheads less elegant and regular than those made of 

 transatlantic obsidian or of Danish flint. The occurrence of large 

 nuclei, from which the last flakes suitable for knives have not been de- 

 tached, may be owing to the fragility of obsidian implements, which in- 

 duced the head of the tribe or the family to preserve these nuclei, in 

 order to have the material for the fabrication of knives and arrow-heads 

 always on hand. 



The implements of which we have spoken were for a long time the 

 only ones found in Hungary. It was a general belief that no chipped 

 flints existed in our country, because none of them had anywhere been 

 noticed. Yet this supposition arose solely from the ignorance of the 

 value of the objects, and from the want of a word to specify them. Our 

 peasants found them frequently and called them " fire-stones," [pierres 

 a feu.) When this indicative word had been discovered, and, moreover, 

 when specimens of chipped flint had been sent from Denmark to some 

 of our friends of archaeology, attention was aroused, and chipped flints, 

 and even nuclei, were found in several counties. In a few years, I am 

 confident, we shall be cognizant of their existence in all parts of the 

 country where siliceous materials occur, and hence our museums may 

 be gradually enriched with such specimens, just as our improvised 

 exposition was increased by the knives from the extensive collection of 

 Miss Torma. So great has been our progress in securing and inter- 

 preting objects of chipped flint, which were still very rare, and much 

 sought for, some months ago. 



At present a new field of studies opens before us, and we shall soon 

 have to relinquish the erroneous, but widely diffused, idea that duriug 

 the epochs when stone played everywhere such an important part, Hun- 

 gary was not yet inhabited on account of being covered by the waters 

 of the sea. 



Up to this day we know only a few well-authenticated celts of pol- 

 shed flint. One of them was found in the county of Szabolcs, the others 

 in that of Lipto ; yet how many more will be discovered when we have 

 learned to look for them, and when our peasants have been made 

 acquainted with their value. As for other polished stone implements, 

 we possess chiefly objects of serpentine, not only in considerable num- 

 ber, but also of very elegant appearance. This is sufficiently demon- 

 strated by the old si)ecimens of the National Museum, as well as by the 

 late acquisitions of Baron Eugene Nydri, the Ilev. Canon Francis 

 Ebenbocb, the Eev. Yicar Stephen Mih41dy, suid by the material which 

 our compatriots, who take pride in showing you their best and most inter- 

 esting pieces, have put here on exhibition. Yet all these interesting 

 objects were neither looked at nor preserved prior to the successful 

 researches made throughout the kingdom. 



You behold, however, only isolated specimens ; for it was not feasible 



