[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.