The native quarry of Syndal, near Ross.

In the monthly notices of this Society for June, July, and August, 1875, page 41, the late Mr. J. R. Scott describes the locality of a native quarry" from where the Aborigines obtained their flint or stone implements. One location of such a quarry is in the north-east of the stone hut in Stocker's Bottom, County of Somerset, Parish of Pell. The second location is south-west on Lot 443, on a branch of Dismal Creek, running out of Stocker's Bottom. The quarries were not working places—they were quarries pure and simple—that is to say, places from which the stone used for implements was obtained. The Aborigines visited these places simply to obtain a supply of suitable flakes, most of which they took away in order to shape them at their camping grounds. I can only suppose that every time when an Aborigine required an implement he wished it to be of a certain size. He commenced striking off flakes till one of the desired size was obtained, disregarding all the others that fell off, however suitable they might otherwise have been, because they did not have the size, or perhaps better said, the required weight. It cannot be the shape, because all Tasmanian implements are true amorpholithes— that is to say, devoid of all intentional form. It can therefore only be the size or the weight of the desired flake that came into consideration. If this view be correct, it would certainly account in a satisfactory way for the otherwise puzzling fact that numerous flakes which are evidently suitable for implements have been rejected, while others less suitable have been worked into implements