FROM CALIFORNIA. 13 



This is nothing more than a stick of hard wood sharpened at one end, and weighted 

 hy means of a perforated stone through which it is passed, and which is held in its 

 place hy a wedge. With this rude instrument the Hottentot can hreak up the ground 

 faster than might he imagined, but he ofteuer uses it for digging up wild plants, and 

 unearthing sundry burrowing animals, than for any agricultural purposes. 



Edward T. Stevens also alludes to the use of tbese disks as digging 

 weights by the Bechuanas, and to what is probably a secondary use in 

 preparing food. lie says: ' 



Iu the Christy collection are some perforated stone disks, five and one-half inches in 

 diameter, used for crushing or grinding grasshoppers, spiders, &c, by the Bechuanas 

 of South Africa, who regard these insects as forming a valuable article of food. 

 When digging wild roots, they put this stone upon the digging stick to give it greater 

 weight. A specimen of such a digging stick, with the stone attached, is in the Mu- 

 seum of the Missionary Society, London. 



Eev. Laugbam Dale is thus quoted on the same subject: 2 



The illustrations of various implements which I had sent him [Rev. Mr. Kronlein], 

 when exhibited to the people, were recognized as of things known to them. The 

 grain crushers and the perforated stones are evidently the most modern. It seems to 

 be acknowledged that a stick was forced into the perforated stone, and so used by 

 the old Hottentot warriors as a weapou iu time of war and also as a tool to dig roots 

 out in time of peace; for these uses I have the direct testimony of the missionary at 

 Wapperthal, in the Clanwilliam division, and of others. I shall continue to collect 

 evidence bearing on the problem of the age of these implements; at present the 

 probability is that they have been in use at no distant day among Bushmen and 

 Hottentots. 



With reference to a portion of the above statement it may be said 

 that it would seem in the last degree improbable that the -warriors of 

 any tribe of savages would deign to use in actual war a domestic im- 

 plement, particularly as on the theory of an interchangeable function 

 the warrior's weapon would have to be taken from the hands of the 

 women ; equally improbable is it that the warriors would permit a 

 weapon to be degraded to domestic use. Moreover, against the idea of 

 this interchangeable function is the fact that for effective service as club 

 heads it would seem to be necessary that the perforated stones should 

 be permanently attached to the handles. 



Eev. J. G. Wood, :f in his comments on the above statement, takes 

 similar ground against their use as weapons, adding that, so far as he 

 knew, "none of the Ilotteutot tribes used stone weapons. 1 ' 



Carl L. Griesbach 4 thus speaks of the same implement: 



A singularly shaped tool is employed by the Bushmen, consisting of a rounded 

 stono perforated for the passage of a stick, which is used for digging up roots, and 

 may also be employed as a weapon. 



The latter author clearly affirms their use as weights to digging 

 sticks, while only stating that they may have been employed as clubs. 



1 Flint (hii.s, p. 95, 1870. 



2 Jour. Anthxop. Inst. Great Brit. & Ireland, Vol. I, p. :: IT, L872. 

 3 Op. cit., p. 348. 



4 Op. cit., p. cliv, Appendix. 



