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ends of the stone in its longer diameter, while others show 

 the abrasion, not at the end, but at a little distance from 

 the end, and on one or more of the lateral faces. In some 

 cases the tool shows signs of use both at the ends and on the 

 sides of the pebble. 



The reason for this was explained by my native in- 

 structors. When a flake has to be struck from the core, the 

 end of the hammer is used and a sharp blow is directed at a 

 point near the edge of the previously prepared flat surface 

 of the core. By this means a flake, possibly several inches in 

 length, is struck off and shows a conch oidal fracture con- 

 centric to the point where the impact was made. To obtain 

 this effect the striking tool must be used vertically and with 

 considerable force. To work up a fine cutting edge by 

 secondary chipping a different method is adopted. During 

 the day on which I met the two aboriginals at the Finke I 

 happened to have picked up a quartzite flake, that was 

 chipped to some extent on one side, and also a round pebble 

 that had been used as a hammer stone. I produced these 

 from my pocket and showed them to the two natives. With 

 respect to the quartzite flake, they said, "Him no good." I 

 then said to them, "Show me how you make him." One 

 of the natives then took the quartzite in his left hand and 

 the round stone, or hammer, in his right, holding the flake 

 with its flat, or conchoidal side, uppermost. Then, instead 

 of using the hammer, end on, as is done when removing flakes 

 from the core, he struck the edge of the flake by a sideways 

 blow from the hammer, which produced a bevelled surface 

 along the edge of the convex side of the flake. The object, 

 in this case, was to make a womerah stone, but, as the native 

 stated, the stone (a quartzite) was not a good kind of stone 

 for this purpose. Womerah gouges are usually made from 

 a very fine-grained porcelain-like stone, and are often an 

 article of barter between the tribes. 



This object-lesson explains not only the use of the smooth, 

 oval-shaped pebbles (which might be more appropriately called 

 fabricator* rather than hammers), but also the origin of the 

 two kinds of abrasion seen on these stones, as referred to 

 above. I also ascertained that in the use of the stone gouges, 

 or other cutting: instruments, the stone knife is not directed 

 away from the workman, as in the case of European usage in 

 cutting with a steel knife, but is directed towards the 

 workman. 



The information obtained from the natives at the Finke 

 was confirmed and still further illustrated by the natives met 

 with on the Macumba Station. 



Walter Howchin. 



Evening Meeting, September 8, 1921. 



