ORIGIN OF THE NUMERALS. 535 



gated shape, as sticks, logs, trees, poles, boards, fence-rails, rifles and pistols, 

 boots, lead-pencils, etc. The verb properly means, "to lay down or deposit 

 many tall, inanimate objects." 



Nehla or nikla, part, neklatko, with their distributive forms, are ap- 

 pended to numerals made up of units from one to nine after the decade, and 

 introducing objects of a thin, filiform, smooth, and level surface or texture, as 

 sheets of cloth or j^aper, kerchiefs, shirts, mats, and other tissues, excluding 

 blankets, also ropes and strings. The verb shukla, which we would expect 

 to introduce single units after the decade, is not in use for this purpose. 



Shi Ski a, part, shltiklatko, with their distributive forms, is found ap- 

 pended to numerals made up of units from one to nine after the decade, and 

 referring to blankets, bedcloth, skins, and other large articles of dress serving 

 to envelope the whole body or parts of it. 



Ydla, ydlha, ytla, part, yalatko, ye^latko, with their distributive forms, 

 are appended to numerals made up of units from one to nine, descriptive of 

 long, tall, inanimate objects, and therefore analogous to ikla in their use. 

 For single units, neither fla, which is the absolute form of the distributive 

 i-Ala, yala, y^la, nor another form kshela, is actually used. Examples: 



wewilnuish tatoksni na'sh taiinep kshikla shuenka they killed eleven 

 women and children, 37, 15 



tun^pni ta-unepAnta na'sh maklakshash kshiklapkash I'-amnatko com- 

 manding fifty- one Indians. 



ta-unepjinta tiinep pe-ulapkash Modokishash hil shlea he found (there) 

 fifteen Modoc Indians. 



Tchimii'ntko lap6ni ta-unepanta lap pe-ula illo'latko gi Steamboat Frank 

 (then) tvas twenty-two years old, 56, 8; cf 19 and the passages in 

 Dictionary, pages 264, 265. 



tina hundred pen lap pt^-ula latchash (there are) one hundred and two 

 lodges, 90, 3. 



ORIGIN OP THE NUMERALS. 



The quinary system is the most frequent of all the systems occurring 

 in the numerals of American languages; its origin lies in counting objects 

 by means of the fingers of both hands. When counting on their fingers, 



