ARTISTIC SENSE IN ABORIGINES. 429 



finish, are exemplified in many fine specimens. In this particular, 

 many of these weapons more resemble the polished axe-heads of 

 Neolithic times. Flint not being so widely distributed as in 

 European countries, stone of hard texture had to be chosen, rocks 

 such as diorite, diabase, quartzite, close-grained basalt, etc., being 

 used. The chipping or flaking of knives and scrapers frequently 

 shows delicate touch and fine workmanship in obtaining the re- 

 quired shape with the crude means at command. The leaf-shaped 

 spearheads of quartzite, quartz, chalcedony, and, later, of glass and 

 porcelain, reveal a wonderful delicacy in treating such fragile 

 materials, and a remarkable skill in their symmetrical construction. 

 The degree of finish in stone weapons varies a good deal in Australia 

 with the district, the quality and the quantity of the stone material, 

 and with the character of the food supply. Some of the finest 

 polished stone axes have come from the Murray River and Riverina 

 district, where suitable stone is almost unknown, the material, 

 usually diorite, being brought from a great distance, its scarcity 

 enhancing the value of the axes, and increasing the attention 

 bestowed on their construction. In South-west Australia, and in 

 many coastal districts, the axes are often roughly chipped or ground, 

 and frequently simply adapted from water-worn stones. The 

 hafted knives of Central and Northern Australia, skilfully flaked, 

 and with accompanying sheaths, show deft workmanship. In 

 other parts the chipping or flaking of flint, chert, quartz, and 

 quartzite into knives and scrapers is effectively carried out. 



The general shape of the stone axes throughout the continent 

 is a somewhat oval shape, but every degree, from '"eolith " to 

 polished stone axe, is found in the stone age in Australia. The 

 numerous stone quarries from which material was obtained, and 

 which have been noted from every part of Australia, with the 

 multitude of chips and " rejects " in the vicinity of the quarries, 

 give evidence of the patience and labour expended in the manu- 

 facture of the stone weapons. The axe-head was sometimes 

 grooved to receive the haft ; but the hafting and fastening were 

 designed so as to combine lightness with strength. 



In the construction of wooden weapons the aborigines of 

 Australia show great ingenuity and a natural desire for ornamenta- 

 tion. By means of fire and stone implements the rough timber 

 was fashioned as desired into spear, nullah, langeel, throwing-stick, 

 shield, or boomerang. Again, we find the excellence of the weapon 

 in regard to design to vary with the character of the timber used, 

 as well as the environment. Frequently, where there was abund- 

 ance of food, giving leisure for more careful construction and a 

 higher standard of effort, or where a tribe was unusually warlike 

 in character, the weapons were of better make and superior in 

 design and in ornamentation. Some of the shields, particularly 

 the broader ones, are decorated with colours — white, black, or 

 red — the designs being principally on lines, curves and dots, and 

 of conventional character. The narrower shields, usually of harder 

 wood, are often carved or marked with lines. Some of these have 



