no ABORIGINES NAMES OF MINERALS AND ROCKS. 



The meaning of the word tro-na is not known, ex- 

 cept that it represents a siHceous rock, which the 

 modern scientist calls hornstone or chert, and that it 

 ■also included such substances as porcellanite, breccia, 

 .and a number of quartz minerals such as chalcedony, 

 wood opal, etc. 



9. PEBBLE (Rolled Quartz).— Under this heading 

 Milligan gives two words, viz., 



Eastern Tribes — Kugha-weenya 

 Southern Tribes — Tramutta. 



At the first glance we perceive that under this head- 

 ing two most heterogeneous objects are included. The 

 second word is no other than the general name for stone 

 implement, viz., trowatta. No doubt a pebble of rolled 

 ■quartz can be, and may often have been, turned into a 

 trawatta ; but there can be also not the slightest doubt 

 that this name was not applied to designate the sub- 

 stance. We can therefore disregard this word. 



The remaining kugha-weenya presents such a simi- 

 larity with the word for " topaz " that it will be better 

 to discuss it there. 



10. SALT. — It seems one of the most striking 

 features of the Tasmanian vocabulary that there exists 

 no special word for one of the most necessary sub- 

 stances of human life, namely, salt. Human beings can- 

 not exist without salt — a fact too well known to be 

 further enlarged upon. How is it, then, that the Tas- 

 manian Aborigines could do without it, though as a sub- 

 stance it must have been well known to them. For in- 

 stance, the salt pans near Mona Vale are after a dry 

 season completely covered with a glittering white crust 

 ■of dry salt, and as this part was apparently one of their 

 favourite camping grounds, they could not help noticing 

 this when water became scarce. There is also no doubt 

 that they noticed the salt on the rocks left by the 

 evaporation of sea water. 



I think the explanation of this apparently lack of 

 ■desire for one of the most important substances is very 

 simple. During winter time the food of the Aborigines 

 ■ consisted mostly of shell fish, which naturally contained 



