Primitive culture, vol. 1 (of 2)

308. Kracheninnikow, ‘Kamtchatka,’ p. 17.

309. Gumilla, ‘Historia del Orenoco,’ vol. iii. ch. xlv.; Pott, ‘Zählmethode,’ p. 16.

310. The Eastern brokers have used for ages, and still use, the method of secretly indicating numbers to one another in bargaining, ‘by snipping fingers under a cloth.’ ‘Every joynt and every finger hath his signification,’ as an old traveller says, and the system seems a more or less artificial development of ordinary finger-counting, the thumb and little finger stretched out, and the other fingers closed, standing for 6 or 60, the addition of the fourth finger making 7 or 70, and so on. It is said that between two brokers settling a price by thus snipping with the fingers, cleverness in bargaining, offering a little more, hesitating, expressing an obstinate refusal to go farther, &c., comes out just as in chaffering in words.

311. Gilij; ‘Saggio di Storia Americana,’ vol. ii. p. 332 (Tamanac, Maypure). Martius, ‘Gloss. Brasil,’ (Cayriri, Tupi, Carib, Omagua, Juri, Guachi, Coretu, Cherentes, Maxuruna, Caripuna, Cauixana, Carajás, Coroado, &c.); Dobrizhoffer, ‘Abipones,’ vol. ii. p. 168; Humboldt, ‘Monumens,’ pl. xliv. (Muysca).

312. Cranz, ‘Grönland,’ p. 286; Kleinschmidt, ‘Gr. der Grönl. Spr.;’ Rae in ‘Tr. Eth. Soc.’ vol. iv. p. 145.

313. Milligan, l. c.; G. F. Moore, ‘Vocab. W. Australia.’ Compare a series of quinary numerals to 9, from Sydney, in Pott, ‘Zählmethode,’ p. 46.

314. Gabelentz, ‘Melanesiche Sprachen,’ p. 183.

315. W. v. Humboldt, ‘Kawi-Spr.’ vol. ii. p. 308; corroborated by ‘As. Res.’ vol. vi. p. 90; ‘Journ. Ind. Archip.’ vol. iii. p. 182, &c.

316. Kölle, ‘Gr. of Vei Lang.’ p. 27.

317. Schreuder, ‘Gr. for Zulu Sproget,’ p. 30; Döhne, ‘Zulu Dic.’; Grout, ‘Zulu Gr.’ See Hahn, ‘Gr. des Herero.’

318. Sir W. Jones in ‘As. Res.’ vol. ii. 1790, p. 296; E. Jacquet in ‘Nouv. Journ. Asiat.’ 1835; W. v. Humboldt, ‘Kawi-Spr.’ vol. i. p. 19. This system of recording dates, &c., extended as far as Tibet and the Indian Archipelago. Many important points of Oriental chronology depend on such formulas. Unfortunately their evidence is more or less vitiated by inconsistencies in the use of words for numbers.

319. Eyre, ‘Australia,’ vol. ii. p. 324; Schürmann, ‘Vocab. of Parnkalla Lang,’ gives forms partially corresponding.

320. ‘Journ. Ind. Archip.’ New Ser. vol. ii. 1858, p. 118 (Sulong, Awang, Itam (‘black’), Puteh (‘white’), Allang, Pendeh, Kechil or Bongsu); Bastian, ‘Oestl. Asien,’ vol. ii. p. 494. The details are imperfectly given, and seem not all correct.

321. Ellis, ‘Madagascar,’ vol. i. p. 154. Also Andriampaivo, or Lahi-Zandrina, for last male; Andrianivo for intermediate male. Malagasy lahy, ‘male’= Malay laki; Malagasy vavy, ‘female’ = Tongan fafine, Maori wahine, ‘woman;’ comp. Malay bâtina, ‘female.’

322. M. Eastman, ‘Dahcotah; or, Life and Legends of the Sioux,’ p. xxv.

323. ‘Journ. Ethnol. Soc.’ vol. iv. (Akra); Ploss, ‘Das Kind,’ vol. i. p. 139 (Elmina).

324. H. Hale, ‘Ethnography and Philology,’ vol. vi. of Wilkes, U.S. Exploring Exp., Philadelphia, 1846, pp. 172, 289. (N.B.—The ordinary editions do not contain this important volume.)

325. Bowen, ‘Gr. and Dic. of Yoruba.’ Burton in ‘Mem. Anthrop. Soc.,’ vol. i. p. 314.

326. See Pott, ‘Zählmethode,’pp. 78, 99, 124, 161; Grimm, ‘Deutsche Rechtsalterthümer,’ ch. v.

327. Francisque-Michel, ‘Argot,’ p. 483.

328. Of evidence of this class, the following deserves attention:—Dobrizhoffer, ‘Abipones,’ vol. ii. p. 169, gives geyenkñatè, ‘ostrich-toes,’ as the numeral for 4, their ostrich having three toes before and one behind, and neènhalek, ‘a five-coloured spotted hide,’ as the numeral 5. D’Orbigny, ‘L’Homme Américain,’ vol. ii. p. 163, remarks:—‘Les Chiquitos ne savent compter que jusqu’à un (tama), n’ayant plus ensuite que des termes de comparaison.’ Kölle, ‘Gr. of Vei Lang.,’ notices that féra means both ‘with’ and 2, and thinks the former meaning original (compare the Tah. piti, ‘together,’ thence 2). Quichua chuncu, ‘heap,’ chunca, 10, may be connected. Aztec, ce, 1, cen-tli, ‘grain,’ may be connected. On possible derivations of 2 from hand, &c., especially Hottentot, t’koam, ‘hand, 2,’ see Pott, ‘Zählmethode,’ p. 29.

329. See Farrar, ‘Chapters on Language,’ p. 223. Benloew, ‘Recherches sur l’Origine des Noms de Nombre;’ Pictet, ‘Origines Indo-Europ.’ part ii. ch. ii.; Pott, ‘Zählmethode,’ p. 128, &c.; A. v. Humboldt’s plausible comparison between Skr. pancha, 5, and Pers. penjeh, ‘the palm of the hand with the fingers spread out; the outspread foot of a bird,’ as though 5 were called pancha from being like a hand, is erroneous. The Persian penjeh is itself derived from the numeral 5, as in Skr. the hand is called panchaçâkha, ‘the five-branched.’ The same formation is found in English; slang describes a man’s hand as his ‘fives,’ or ‘bunch of fives,’ thence the name of the game of fives, played by striking the ball with the open hand, a term which has made its way out of slang into accepted language. Burton describes the polite Arab at a meal, calling his companion’s attention to a grain of rice fallen into his beard. ‘The gazelle is in the garden,’ he says, with a smile. ‘We will hunt her with the five,’ is the reply.

330. Ovid, Fast. iii. 121.

331. The actual word-numerals of the two quinary series are given as examples. Triton’s Bay, 1, samosi; 2, roëeti; 3, touwroe; 4, faat; 5, rimi; 6, rim-samos; 7, rim-roëeti; 8, rim-touwroe; 9, rim-faat; 10, woetsja. Lifu, 1, pacha; 2, lo; 3, kun; 4, thack; 5, thabumb; 6, lo-acha; 7, lo-a-lo; 8, lo-kunn; 9, lo-thack; 10, te-bennete.

332. A. F. Pott, ‘Die Quinäre und Vigesimale Zählmethode bei Völkern aller Welttheile,’ Halle, 1847; supplemented in ‘Festgabe zur xxv. Versammlung Deutscher Philologen, &c., in Halle’ (1867).

333. ‘Account of Laura Bridgman,’ London, 1845, p. 159.

334. Compare the Rajmahali tribes adopting Hindi numerals, yet reckoning by twenties. Shaw, l.c. The use of a ‘score’ as an indefinite number in England, and similarly of 20 in France, of 40 in the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Arabic of the Thousand and One Nights, may be among other traces of vigesimal reckoning.

335. D. Wilson, ‘Prehistoric Man,’ p. 616.

336. Grant in ‘Tr. Eth. Soc.’ vol. iii. p. 90.

337. Dobrizhoffer, ‘Gesch. der Abiponer,’p. 205; Eng. Trans. vol. ii. p. 171.

338. Markham in ‘Tr. Eth. Soc.’ vol. iii. p. 166.

339. Latham, ‘Comp. Phil.’ p. 186; Shaw in ‘As. Res.’ vol. iv. p. 96; ‘Journ. As. Soc. Bengal,’ 1866, part ii. pp. 27, 204, 251.

340. St. Cricq in ‘Bulletin de la Soc. de Géog.’ 1853, p. 286; Pott, ‘Zählmethode,’ p. 7.

341. Gabelentz, p. 89; Hale, l.c.

342. J. C. Hotten, ‘Slang Dictionary,’ p. 218.

343. ‘Early History of Mankind,’ p. 106.

344. Ellis, ‘Polyn. Res.’ vol. i. p. 91; Klemm, C. G. vol. iii. p. 383.

345. Grote, ‘History of Greece,’ vol. i. chaps. ix. xi.; Pausanias viii. 2; Plutarch. Theseus 1.

346. See Banier, ‘La Mythologie et les Fables expliquées par l’Histoire,’ Paris, 1738; Lempriere, ‘Classical Dictionary,’ &c.

347. Hanusch, ‘Slav. Myth.’ p. 323; Grimm, D. M. p. 363; Latham, ‘Descr. Eth.’ vol. ii. p. 448; I. J. Schmidt, ‘Forschungen,’ p. 13; J. G. Müller, ‘Amer. Urrelig.’ p. 268. See also Plutarch. Parallela xxxvi.; Campbell, ‘Highland Tales,’ vol. i. p. 278; Max Müller, ‘Chips,’ vol. ii. p. 169; Tylor, ‘Wild Men and Beast-children,’ in Anthropological Review, May 1863.