58 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 
mental work on some of tlie wooden instruments, is so strikingly akin 
to those of Irish pre-historic times, that I think it possible some of our 
best archaeologists might he deceived by them. And yet they are things 
of yesterday. They are not only recent, but most recent. For instance, 
some of the spear-heads are made of bottle-glass, an article unknown 
to the natives of Kimberley four or five years ago. Two of these 
were made for my instruction in the art by two natives of Kimberley. 
The process was very simple. The native having obtained a portion, 
of a broken bottle, knocked off a piece of suitable size. He then pro- 
cured a rounded pebble of the rough iron- sandstone, of Carboniferous 
age, so very common in this part of the country. This was slightly 
rubbed on another stone, so as to give it a " bite." The next requisite 
was a small piece of wood. The native now seated himself, placed the 
wood under his toes, and the piece of glass — resting edgeways on it — 
between the great and second toe. He then, with light blows 
adapted to the nature of the flake he wished to strike off, deftly 
chipped the glass into its first rude leaf-shape form. This being ac- 
complished, lighter blows were given, until a certain amount of finish 
was obtained ; then the fine point was gradually formed, and the 
delicately-serrated edge, by slight taps with a smaller and a flat-edged 
stone. 
The specimens I refer to are somewhat rude in appearance, having 
been made rather hurriedly, in order to show me the process of working. 
Still it seems almost incredible that so brittle and treacherous a sub- 
stance as glass could be worked into the form exhibited by the aid of 
such simi)le instruments.^ (See PI. i., fig. 12.) 
The whole operation did not occupy more than half an hour. 
That the natives now use these glass spear-heads in actual warfare 
is shown by a sample I have, which was attached to one of their war- 
spears. 
Another specimen, made from the glass of a brandy-bottle, and 
found, together with some highly-finished flint spear-heads, at a native 
camp, attests the wonderful delicacy of touch and sense of symmetry 
which the so-called degraded Australian savage possesses.'* 
* Since -writing this sentence I have met with a passage in Mr. E. Brough 
Smith's work on the Aborigines of Victoria, in which, referring to the stone spear- 
heads of Northern AustraHa, he says, that it is " difficult to beheve that skill could 
produce from pieces of stone, by percussion only, such beautiful weapons." — Con' 
densed quotation. 
2 This specimen is of a very beautiful leaf-shape, and worked to a fine and 
delicate point. (PI. i., fig. 7.) The point has unfortunately been broken ofi". 
