Ball — On Ancient Stone Implements in India. 39i> 



pur, and Mopani, in the Central Provinces, and Karakpur in Bengal, 

 and in Burmah. They have been supposed to be weights for spindles, 

 net sinkers, and in the case of the specimens from Karakpur, portions 

 of querns or hand mills. These last, indeed, appear to be of no great 

 antiquity, and the suggestion is probably correct. I am able to ex- 

 hibit a specimen of perforated schist of veiy modern origin, of which 

 I was able to ascertain the history. I picked it up one day at Almo- 

 rah, in the Himalayas, and seeing it was modern, I thought it possible 

 I might get a clue to the uses of the ancient forms, to which it had 

 some resemblance. On inquiry I found it was simply a toy quern 

 which had been manufactured by or for the children of the village, 

 and one small boy laughed outright when he saw me carrying it off. 



The example (Plate 15, Pig. 13) is, however, ancient beyond a 

 doubt. I have already suggested in my original account of it that I 

 am inclined to believe, from the facility with which it can be grasped, 

 that it may have been used as a sort of " knuckle-duster " in encounters 

 between men and wild animals. As a spindle whorl or net-sinker, it 

 appears to me that it is unnecessarily heavy, and for either of these 

 purposes a softer, more easily worked, stone than basalt would answer 

 equally well. 



The chief point of interest about it is its very close resemblance to- 

 forms which have not uncommonly been met with in Europe and like- 

 Avise in Yirginia, Pennsylvania, and other parts of North America.* To- 

 those who believe in an Asiatic origin for the North American Indians 

 this fact may be of interest. These implements are commonly called 

 liammer stones ; but I do not think it probable that they were em- 

 ployed in the manufacture of flakes, as has been suggested by some 

 authorities. 



The flakes of chert, agate, &c, which were struck from the cores I 

 exhibit were undoubtedly used as lancets, knives, arrow-heads, &c. I 

 have, in a Paper read in this place on a previous occasion, described 

 how, in the Andaman Islands at the present day, in the vicinity of the 

 settlements, flakes of bottle glass are used as lancets and razors, they 

 being found to be more efficient than the flakes of chert, &c, which 

 were formerly used there. It is most probable that in some parts of 

 the islands chert or hornstone flakes are still manufactured, and used 

 for these purposes. 



I cannot leave this part of the subject without making a sugges- 

 tion as to a possible use of some of the forms whose efficiency as im- 

 plements may appear to be doubtful. In Burmah, Assam, &c, these 

 objects are regarded either as being of supernatural origin, or as 

 thunderbolts, as I have stated above. In Bandelkhand and the 

 Central Provinces they have sometimes been found placed in the 

 vicinity of Shivoid altars, or the well-known lingum. It seems, there- 

 fore, possible that some forms may have been specially prepared as 

 votive offerings, and possessed a symbolical significance in a now for- 

 bid? American Naturalist, for March, 1873. 



