6 
MEMOIRS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 
world. Ausi (the grandfather of Moigi) had not seen it fall — it did not fall 
during his lifetime, but he had the story as it had been handed down from father 
to son by his (Ausi’s) forefathers. The story being already traditional during 
the childhood of the grandfather of one of our oldest men, points to the fact that 
the stone is more than a century old; perhaps considerably more. The stone was 
allowed to lie where it fell, and, during the childhood of those who are now old 
men, parents used to forbid their children from touching it, for fear that if they 
touched it more stones would fall. When the first missionaries came they said 
their God was the only god and that the stone could not hurt them, and suggested 
burning it. Then five men — Gari, Dagi, Aina, Janaur, and Kinaur — put fire 
round the stone, and managed to chip off the outer shell for stone clubs, but 
could make no impression on the inner portion. By this means they reduced the 
diameter of the stone by about six or eight inches. After that the stone lost its 
sanctity and children used to play freely round it and climb on to it.” 
Unfortunately, however, the composition of the stone is not that of a 
meteorite, so that it is very hard to bring facts already stated into line with what 
we now know of its nature. At my request Mr. J. B. Henderson, the Queensland 
Government Analyst, has very kindly supplied me with the analysis of a piece of 
this rock, which is as follows : — 
Per Cent. 
Moisture at 100°G . . . . . . . . . , 0*3 
Loss on ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . 0'2 
Silica (SiO„) 59’ 5 
Iron oxide (Fe„0 3 ) . . . . . . . . . . 6‘8 
Alumina (A1 2 0 3 ) .. .. .. .. .. 18*4 
Oxide of manganese (MnO) . . . . . . . . 0*4 
Oxide of titanium (TiO 2 ) .. .. .. .. 0 6 
Lime (CaO) . . . . . . ... . . . . 6*5 
Magnesia (MgO) .. .. .. .. .. .. 1*9 
Alkalies (Na 2 0K 2 0) .. .. .. .. .. 5*0 
Sulphur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nil 
Phosphoric acid . . .. .. .. .. .. Nil 
996 
It has been remarked that the words “fell from Heaven” suggest Christian 
teaching rather than heathen superstition, so that Dr. Anderson’s report 
(Australian Museum, Sydney) on the subject is all the more forcible : — 
Structurally and chemically the supposed aerolite has all the character- 
istics of an ordinary terrestrial rock, and none which are recognised as distinctive 
of meteoritic bodies. Unless its fall was actually observed by reliable witnesses, 
I am afraid that the meteoritic origin of this specimen would not be accepted on 
the evidence of legendary reports. It would be unsafe to say that a body with the 
characteristics of andesite might not reach the earth from space, but possibilities, 
are not probabilities, and such a substance would have to furnish unexceptional 
credentials before it would be admitted amongst meteorites.” 
Whatever view may be taken as to the character of the stone, the ethno- 
logical significance of the belief is still of interest. 
