Vol. X, No. 7.] Stone Implements from Yunnan. 269 



[N.S.1 



exhibit a distinct family resemblance with the spade or shoul- 

 dered celt of the Mm- Hkmer country in Burma, indoChina and 

 Chota Nagpur. Their general shape is best appreciated from 

 the photographs, and it will suffice to say that they commence 

 with a well marked st >ck or handle and then suddenly splay 

 out into a broad, semi-circular cutting-edge I obtained both 

 specimens from a Chinese family in Chen-pien (Ma-kai), Mekong 

 Valley, and as they had formed part of the domestic pharmaco- 

 poeia for several years, they are both badly damaged, though in 

 b )th cases the beautifully polished surface still partially remains. 

 The rock used in the manufacture of this the larger specimen 

 is a greyish quartz porphyry Its dimensions are, greatest 

 length— 15*5 cms., greatest breadth across the edge— 10*5 cms., 

 average diameter of stock— 5*3 cms. 



Figure 15. Fashioned from a brownish volcanic rock. 

 Dimensions greatest length— 10 cms., greatest breadth, across 

 edge— 7 cms., average diameter of stock -33 cms The 

 latter measurement is taken before the stock commences to 

 swell out to form the shoulders. The questions which present 

 themselves to my mind are, have we here a prototype o the 

 common form of the Yiinnanese bronze axe, or a copy of the 

 latter in stone, belonging to some later period ? 



Figure 16. Rectangular stone hammer remarkably like a 

 specimen in the Couling collection from Shan-tung. According 

 to B. Laufer this type is particularly interesting as reveal- 

 ing the stone prototype of the carpenter's iron hammer com- 

 mon all over China On tne front face the blade starts from 



TO 



shorter and more abrupt sloping away of the back face. The 

 rounded butt shows signs of much use The stone is a fine 

 grained quartzite and bears a high polish. Dimensions, length 

 li cms., breadth — 5 cms., thickness — 3 cms. Purchased in 

 Shih-tien. 



Figure 17. Thin, elongated, rectangular chisel, identical 

 with forms collected by Massie l in the Luang Prabang and 

 Black River regions. The edge is completely broken away. 

 Dimensions of remaining portions, length — 10*5 cms., breadth 

 2*5-3 cms., thickness — *75 cms. Made from an indurated 

 slat6 and finely polished. Locality, Shih-tien. 



Figure 18. Rectangular chisel, with short well- polished 

 blade, formed almost entirely from the front face. The sides 

 ar* flat and the angles which they make with the faces 

 only slightly bevelled. Considerable fracturing has taken 



w s and butt, which appears to have resulted 

 from the fissile nature of the material, a hard, dark greyish- 

 blue, siliceous slate. Dimensions, length — 9 cms., breadth — 4 



Missio: 



Loc. tit., pp. 10-27, pi. i 



