38 
HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
They also distinguish by distinct names the two very similar species of 
porcupine grass, from the viscid leaf sheaths of one of which they derive a 
resinous product used as cementing material. They have a separate and distinct 
name for a hill and a waterhole at its base. 
A curious instance of a refinement of vernacular nomenclature carried to 
extremes is found in the fact that the Aruntas have three distinct names for the 
louse of the head, armpit and pubes, and also similarly distinguish the louse of the 
man from that of the woman. Every traveller has experienced the difficulty of 
getting an answer to such a question as “For what reason do you do this?” 
Though this may no doubt partly be due to a poverty of ideas and of language, 
I am satisfied that it is often a real want of knowledge of the facts which is the 
primn’pal element in their failure to give information. Usages and customs have 
entirely lost their tradition of origin or significance, consequently their rites and 
ceremonies have come down to them as devoid of definite meaning and are 
performed only in obedience to the powerful influence of habit, custom or fashion. 
As will be afterwards mentioned, great difficulty—practically failure—to gain 
information on the subject of certain ceremonial objects was experienced, and if, 
under such circumstances, when we had the actual objects in our hands wherewith 
to point the meaning of our questions, the information sought was not forthcoming 
it is not to be wondered at that the combination of difficulties, poverty of ideas 
and actual ignorance of the subject, should in more abstract matters have formed 
an insuperable barrier to the extraction of information. 
One of the most conspicuous limitations of their vocabulary is that relating 
to enumeration. Specific terms for numbers exist only up to four, some, indeed, 
when asked to count upon their fingers could advance no further than three or 
could only reach four after hesitation. In the nomenclature itself, this poverty is 
further evident, one being represented by nyunta, two by tera, three by tera 
ma-nyunta—that is two and one—and four by ter'a-ma-tera, that is two and two. 
Some of the Arunta, probably those of the south, used the terms lirpudjama and 
trani-irpuka for three and four respectively, which seemed to be just as well 
understood by all as the other expressions. 
Notwithstanding this poverty of numerical expression Mr. Schulze states, in 
the paper referred to, that he succeeded in imparting a knowledge of the first four 
rules of arithmetic, and their school exercise books, some of which were still to be 
found at the abandoned Mission Station at Hermannsburg, showed that they had 
acquired the facility of writing in creditable characters. 
