50 
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
published in the ' Records of the Albany Museum,' vol. ii, p. 282, and in 
the G-uide Book to the Albany Museum. This specimen also was found in 
a cave near Plettenberg Bay. The essential features of the implement are — 
a small piece of chalcedony, roughly trimmed, presenting a concave cutting- 
edge ; this is mounted in a large lump of resin, a horn handle with slender 
and tapering distal end fitting into a comparatively short socket in the 
resin. The total length of the specimen is 9| in. There is nothing to 
suggest a great antiquity for the specimen. The horn handle is well 
preserved, and, in shaping it, several sharp cuts have been made, which 
clearly point to the use of a steel or iron blade ; it is possible, however, that 
the present shape of the handle is not as left by the original maker, for 
whilst the resinous socket is rounded, the socketing portion of the horn has 
more or less squared surfaces. 
Now, what is the function of this unique implement? Dr. Peringuev 
rightly remarks that " as a serviceable cutting or graving tool it could not 
prove of much service." He then made the following suggestion: "My 
first impression was that this hafted tool was that of a ruler or medicine 
man, somewhat on the lines of the baton de commandement, and I am 
inclined still to look upon it in that light/' This explanation seems to me 
quite untenable, in view of the weak attachment of the handle in our 
specimen, which would be useless as a baton, or as a weapon, for on 
moderately rough treatment the lump of resin would break away from the 
handle. As a cutting implement, on the other hand, it could only be 
effectively employed when grasped firmly by the resinous lump, the handle 
being quite free. 
The solution of the problem, in my judgment, lies in a suggestion made 
to me by Mr. Frank Brownlee, who remarked on the strong resemblance in 
shape between the piece of chalcedony and the imported flints commonly 
used by the natives of the Eastern Province for striking fire. It could 
certainly be used as a fire-flint, and, I think, has actually been thus 
employed, for the cutting edge is worn down in the middle as such flints 
commonly are. From the fine illustration that accompanies Dr. Peringuey's 
account I infer that his specimen also has been used in the same way ; 
indeed he says — " The very sinuous edge had been broken before burial 
probably, as indicated by the comparatively fresh fracture." It may be 
noted, too, that the stone was actually described by its discoverer as a flint. 
Further, the implement as a whole could be utilised as a combined 
firelight and torch, for the resin is very inflammable, and the horny haft 
would make quite a serviceable handle when thus employed. I cannot 
positively assert that the resin has actually been burnt since the implement 
was made, but one point may be stated in favour of this view. It is 
suggested that the resin originally covered more of the surface of the stone 
than at present, for the basal portion imbedded in the resinous socket seems 
