BY FRITZ NOETLING, PH.D., ETC. Ill 



sufficient salt to satisfy all cravings of the body for this 

 substance (i). Thus, taking the salt required for the 

 process of life alread}^ included in their daily food, there 

 was no reason for them to specially collect it (2). 



Milligan mentions the following words for salt: — 



(a) Salt on the rocks by the sea side — 



Lienowittye. 



(b) Ditto— 



Liopackanapoona. 



(c) Water (salt) — 



Lia noattye. 



If we begin with the first word, 

 Lieno-wittye, 

 we see that it is composed of the word for water lia or 

 hena(o) and the suffix wittye. It is very probable that 

 ■" wittye " is the same as " winne ;" the word would 

 therefore read 



Lieno-winne, 



and would perhaps mean a " a substance that comes 

 from water," salt being the residue after the evaporation 

 of sea water. I am not quite so certain about the 

 second word, except that it also contains the lia(o) 

 water, and therefore indicates that the word has some 

 connection with water. 



The most interesting of all is, however, the third, the 

 Avord for salt v\^ater — 



Lia-noattye. 

 According to F. Mueller, the negative is expressed 

 in the Tasmanian language by the word " noia ;" if 

 affixed to a word it would convey just the opposite 

 meaning. Now, we find that water pure and simple is 

 Lia-winne or liena, the last word apparently being 

 contracted from 



Lia-eleebana. 



(i) I have not tested them, but I am told that limpets 

 (Patella), and even mutton fish (Halioties), are so salty that 

 if eaten they will, even if well cooked, produce an intense feel- 

 ing of thirst. 



(2) The question may well be asked. How did the archaeo- 

 lithic man of Europe obtain the necessary salt? Is it possible 

 that he, like the Tasmanians, frequented the sea shores.'' 



