rm which
seems to have been required for the expression of so small a number as 100.
A compound instead of a simple term for any higher unit is never to be
wondered at, so rude are some of the savage methods of expressing number;
but "two fives (times) two fives" is certainly remarkable. Some form like
that employed by the Nusqually[162] of Puget Sound for 1000, i.e.
_paduts-subquaetche_, ten hundred, is more in accordance with primitive
method. But we are equally likely to find such descriptive phrases for this
numeral as the _dor paka_, banyan roots, of the Torres Islands; _rau na
hai_, leaves of a tree, of Vaturana; or _udolu_, all, of the Fiji Islands.
And two curious phrases for 1000 are those of the Banks' Islands, _tar
mataqelaqela_, eye blind thousand, _i.e._ many beyond count; and of
Malanta, _warehune huto_, opossum's hairs, or _idumie one_, count the
sand.[163]

The native languages of India, Thibet, and portions of the Indian
archipelago furnish us with abundant instances of the formation of
secondary numeral scales, which were used only for special purposes, and
without in any way interfering with the use of the number words already in
use. "Thus the scholars of India, ages ago, selected a set of words for a
memoria technica, in order to record dates and numbers. These words they
chose for reasons which are still in great measure evident; thus 'moon' or
'earth' expressed 1, there being but one of each; 2 might be called 'eye,'
'wing,' 'arm,' 'jaw,' as going in pairs; for 3 they said 'Rama,' 'fire,' or
'quality,' there being considered to be three Ramas, three kinds of fire,
three qualities (guna); for 4 were used 'veda,' 'age,' or 'ocean,' there
being four of each recognized; 'season' for 6, because they reckoned six
seasons; 'sage' or 'vowel,' for 7, from the seven sages and the seven
vowels; and so on with higher numbers, 'sun' for 12, because of his twelve
annual denominations, or 'zodiac' from his twelve signs, and 'nail' for 20,
a word incidentally bringing in finger notation. As Sanskrit is very rich
in synonyms, and as even the numerals themselves might be used, it became
very easy to draw up phrases or nonsense verses to record series of numbers
by this system of artificial memory."[164]

More than enough has been said to show how baseless is the claim that all
numeral words are derived, either directly or indirectly, from the names of
fingers, hands, or feet. Connected with the origin of each numbe