48 THE NATIVE QUARRY OF SYNDAL. 



I already noticed, at the June meeting- of this Society, 

 a similar fact when describing the nucleus and the flakes 

 struck therefrom; flakes that were very suitable were 

 disregarded, and at last one, whidh does not appear to 

 liave more advantages than the others, was obtained, 

 and further work was stopped. One can only wonder 

 at the enormous waste of labour, and, as all the 

 lower races are notoriously lazy, it is astonishing to 

 note that they must have spent a vast amount of their 

 labour in vain. It is very difTficult to give a satisfactory 

 explanation of this unquestionable fact ; I can only sup- 

 pose that every time when an Aborigine required an 

 implement he wished it to be of a certain size. He 

 commenced striking off flakes till one of the desired 

 size was obtained, disregarding all the others t^hat fell 

 off, however suitable they might otherwise have been, 

 because they did not have the size, or perhaps better 

 said, the required weight. It cannot be t'he shape, be- 

 cause all Tasmanian implements are true amorpho- 

 lithes — that is to say, devoid of all intentional form. It 

 can therefore only be the size or the weight of the de- 

 sired flake that came into consideration. If this view 

 be correct, it would certainly account in a satisfactory 

 way for the otherwise puzzling fact that numerous 

 flakes which are evidently suitable for implements have 

 been rejected, while others less suitable have been 

 worked into implements. 



At present a fairly thick bush grows all over the 

 quarry, and the traces of a great bush fire are still 

 visible. These bush fires had a remarkable result on 

 some of the fragments ; a large number are superficially 

 cracked ; as a further result, irregular splinters break off, 

 and the originally smooth surface assumes a rough, 

 jagged appearance. I have a most striking example of 

 this action of the fire in a well-chipped specimen, from 

 which a number of splinters have already been detached,- 

 while others are ready to break off at the slightest shock. 

 It is obvious that if this specimen had been exposed for 

 a longer time to the action of fire and rain, the originally 

 well-chipped archaeolithe would have changed into an 

 angular fragment, devoid of any signs of working, but 

 perhaps showing still the crack'~ "^"oduced by fire. 



