CHAPTER VI.
THE QUINARY SYSTEM.
The origin of the quinary mode of counting has been discussed with some fulness in a preceding chapter, and upon that question but little more need be said.

It is the first of the natural systems.

When the savage has finished his count of the fingers of a single hand, he has reached this natural number base.

At this point he ceases to use simple numbers, and begins the process of compounding.

By some one of the numerous methods illustrated in earlier chapters, he passes from 5 to 10, using here the fingers of his second hand.