nesian region, displacing whatever native scales it encountered. The
same phenomenon has been observed in Africa, where the Arab traders have
disseminated their own numeral system very widely, the native tribes
adopting it or modifying their own scales in such a manner that the Arab
influence is detected without difficulty.

In view of these facts, and of the extreme readiness with which a tribe
would through its finger counting fall into the use of the quinary method,
it does not at first seem improbable that the quinary was _the_ original
system. But an extended study of the methods of counting in vogue among the
uncivilized races of all parts of the world has shown that this theory is
entirely untenable. The decimal scale is no less simple in its structure
than the quinary; and the savage, as he extends the limit of his scale from
5 to 6, may call his new number 5-1, or, with equal probability, give it an
entirely new name, independent in all respects of any that have preceded
it. With the use of this new name there may be associated the conception of
"5 and 1 more"; but in such multitudes of instances the words employed show
no trace of any such meaning, that it is impossible for any one to draw,
with any degree of safety, the inference that the signification was
originally there, but that the changes of time had wrought changes in
verbal form so great as to bury it past the power of recovery. A full
discussion of this question need not be entered upon here. But it will be
of interest to notice two or three numeral scales in which the quinary
influence is so faint as to be hardly discernible. They are found in
considerable numbers among the North American Indian languages, as may be
seen by consulting the vocabularies that have been prepared and published
during the last half century.[324] From these I have selected the
following, which are sufficient to illustrate the point in question:

QUAPPA.

1. milchtih.
2. nonnepah.
3. dahghenih.
4. tuah.
5. sattou.
6. schappeh.
7. pennapah.
8. pehdaghenih.
9. schunkkah.
10. gedeh bonah.

TERRABA.[325]

1. krara.
2. krowue.
3. krom miah.
4. krob king.
5. krasch kingde.
6. terdeh.
7. kogodeh.
8. kwongdeh.
9. schkawdeh.
10. dwowdeh.

MOHICAN

1. ngwitloh.
2. neesoh.
3. noghhoh.
4. nauwoh.
5. nunon.
6. ngwittus.
7. tupouwus.
8. ghus