BY FRITZ NOETLING, M.A., PH.D., ETC. 5 



€dges were sharp and cutting, the poHical face smooth, 

 the indical face s'howing" a median ridge (i). 



One of the fragments is broken, and the fracture 

 shows that the material is a dark black chert of very 

 fine texture. The outward appearance of neither t'he 

 core nor the flakes, which are covered with the same 

 patina of hght, yellowish-grey colour, would indicate 

 that the actual colour of the rock is dark black. The' 

 comparative thickness of the crust of weathering proves, 

 however, that the core and flakes must be of consider- 

 able age, because sucli a t'hick patina as exhibited by 

 this specimen is not formed in a few years. 



The specimen here described is unique for Tas- 

 mania, and we can only w^onder at the chain of lucky 

 •circumstances that made its discovery possible. The 

 find of the core, with a large number of spalls falling 

 off during the manufacture of the desired object, all 

 lying close around it, proves conclusively that the work- 

 ing took place exactly at the spot where it 'had been 

 found. Nothing disturbed the core or the flakes since 

 the day when they were struck ofif from a waterworn 

 pebble, weighing probably not less than lolb. Yet, as 

 proved by the thickness of the patina, a considerable 

 time must have elapsed since this pebble was broken. 

 It would rather be rash to assume that the very last 

 Aboriginal who visited this camping ground left core 

 and spalls behind, perhaps in a hurried flight. On the 



(i) Since the above was written I re-visited the place where 

 the above specimen was found. Not only did I succeed in 

 finding 19 more flakes, 17 of which could be fitted to the core, 

 but I actually succeeded in finding the missing flake, the object 

 of breaking the pebble. This had been carried away about 50 

 paces to the north from the place where I found the nucleus 

 and its fragments, and there it had been dropped. It is the 

 exact counterpart of the cast, and I must confess that, had I 

 not recognised the likeness with the cast I had made, I would 

 have probably left the specimen behind. It appears, as it was 

 surmised, that this piece was taken away to be used, but, as it 

 was apparently not suitable, it was simply rejected, and the 

 whole work of breaking this large pebble was in vain. The 

 edges of this flake are broken, and it may perhaps have been 

 used, but there is no marginal chipping, and the specimen was 

 apparently rejected exactly as it was when it had been obtained 

 after so much labour. This is perhaps the most interesting- 

 discovery of all, inasmuch as the missing specimen was traced 

 and actually recognised from the cast, representing its likeness. 



