18 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Jan'. 



hardly be regarded as sufficient for killing the Andamanese pig, as 

 already pointed out by Mr. Theobald, a few years ago.* Forthis 

 purpose, more effective implements of iron, such as the inhabitants 

 use at the present date, must, no doubt, have been employed for 

 some little time past. 



To the east of Port Mouat, there is an extensive Gabbro formal 

 tion, and in this nests of hornstone occur. It is probable that from 

 this, and similar other localities, the chert chips were obtained, 

 which Mr. Theobald (I. cit.) quotes as having been found by Col. 

 Hanghton in an Andamanese camp. It is only natural that the 

 aborigines <?id their best to procure a better material than the sand- 

 stone which is the prevalent formation. South of Port Mouat, 

 a small patch of a metamorphic rock occurs, and as some beds of 

 it are rather quarzose and hard, they very likely did not remain 

 unnoticed by the aborigines. Further examinations of the Kjok- 

 kenmoddings will, no doubt, prove successful in this respect. 

 •\ Mr. Pbepstorff informs me, that especially at Port Mouat 

 there are in several places very extensive shell mounds, all in similar 

 situations to the one I have described. In fact they are scarcely any- 

 where wanting near the sea shore, where there is a situable locality, 

 with a supply of fresh water and with a coral-reef not far distant, 

 from which shells can be obtained. Some of ihe mounds are still 

 in process of increasing ; for the Andamanese always return after a 

 certain time to the same locality, and generally stop as long as 

 the supply of shells and jungle fruits lasts ; they do not appear to 

 be very proficient in fishing, at least as far as one can judge from 

 the population near Port Blair. 



"Viewing the occurrence of these Kjokkenmoddings in the light of 

 what we already know of the very low state of civilization of the 

 Andamanese, there could scarcely be anything very remarkable 

 about them. They shew us that an aboriginal population! was, or 

 still is, very largely subsiding on Molluscs which are either collected 

 on the coral-reefs or in the jungles ; that the people hunt down 

 the pig — the only large mammal probably to be found, — extract 

 the marrow from the bones, employ stone axes and other stone 



* Vido Journal, Asiatic Society, 18G2, p. 326. 



f Short people; with oval .skulls, roundish face, not peculiarly prominent 

 eyebrows, with hairs growing in small tufts, &c, &c. 



