160 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



(d) With ergative, wten subject and object are both afiected in 

 ihe same 'n-ay. Examples — enter {utiz, Macgillivray uteipa, approach), 

 follow (go when something else goes), touch (two things come in 

 contact. 



§ XI. — Numerals and Measures. 



1. The Numeral system of the "Western tribe of Torres Straits 

 islanders, collectively called in this Study the Saibai^ has been very 

 fully discussed in the Ethnography. (See Journ. Anthropological 

 Institute, vol. xix., 1890, pp. 303-306.) "WTiat follows is mainly a 

 reprint of that notice, with some additions from the Gospel. 



Throughout the "Western islands of Torres Straits there were 

 practically but two numerals, ura/pun and oTcoHa, which are, respec- 

 tively, one and two. Three is oko&a xLrapon^ four is oleosa ohosa, five is 

 okosa oleosa urapon, six is oleosa oleosa oleosa, beyond that they usually 

 say ras, or " a lot." 



There is a decided tendency to count by twos or couples. 



The following Table shows the variations in the numerals as they 

 appear in the various vocabularies : — 



1. wardpune, 



2. quassur, 



3. uguassur-wdrdpune, 



Kowrarega (sic). Macgillivray 

 [n. p. 301]. 



The "Western tribe as a whole. 



1. waraoon, . . . . \ 



n I The "Western tribe a 



2- «"^^*'^' .... ^^^^ (Jill ^p 225] 



3. warahon-auaosa, . . . / 



1. warapon, . . . , 



2. ukesar, . . . . ; Masig. D'Albertis [n. p. 387]. 



3. uleesar-warapon, . . . J 



1. urapon, . . . . 



2. kusa, . . . . > Masig. Stone [p. 252]. 



3. kusa urapun, . . . ' 



1. wara, urapon, . . ■ \ ^ •■, • 



, 5 Saibai. Sharon us. 



2. uka, . . . . ) 



