1-22- ABORIGINES NAMES OF MINERALS AND ROCKS. 



distinguished it under a special name, Sand and clay 

 were probably also distinguished, but this may have 

 limited the vocabulary of archaeolithic man in Europe 

 as far as minerals or rocks are concerned. 



If we consider that the primitive language of the 

 Tasmanians knew only three words for mineral sub- 

 stances, two of which, charcoal and red ochre, cannot 

 strictly be considered as such, because they were arti- 

 ficially produced by means of fire ; and as it appears very 

 probable that the archaoelithic man of Europe knew of 

 no more, we must wonder when the invention of those 

 words took place which were used to designate the dif- 

 ferent substances that were already in use during the 

 neolithic stage. If we further consider that in the Tas- 

 manian language the word for " red ochre " means 

 literally " blood," and that for charcoal " black." the first 

 word the human language ever used to designate a 

 mineral was the word for " flint," whatever that may 

 have been, in Europe. Can anything better illustrate 

 the enormous progress of the human race since a'rchaeo- 

 lithic times than a comparison of the single word for 

 flint with thousands of names by which modern science 

 distinguishes the minerals and rocks found on our 

 earth? 





rrdii ■j^ii '^jri; ;^!dudvi'- ni yuljilo-^adoxii 'aI D'/ir;: 



