240 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. II. 



afforded by the character of the refuse surrounding and partially fill- 

 ing them leads me to believe that the object of the numerous excava- 

 tions was similar to that of the work done in the wash (see PI. XXXI). 

 After the soil had been penetrated, the workmen encountered the 

 upper unworkable rock through which it was necessary to excavate 

 to a considerable depth before the denser masses of workable mate- 

 rial and the jasper and chalcedony nodules were encountered (see 

 PI. XXXII). On account of the broken character of the upper mass 

 of the quartzite bed such excavations were not necessarily difficult 

 operations. Furthermore, it is possible to believe that this work 

 could be carried on with tools similar to those which would be found 

 efficacious in working the exposed stratum down in the valley. 



HAMMER-STONES. 



We may now examine some of the products of the quarry. Hav- 

 ing very recently, previous to my visit in Wyoming, examined with 

 some care the rich and instructive flint quarry at Mill Creek, Illinois, 

 I was immediately impressed with the almost total absence of tools. 

 Of digging or quarrying implements not a single specimen was found, 

 and a diligent search of many hours yielded only some twenty ham- 

 mer-stones, and those of the simplest nature. Indeed, they were 

 nothing more nor less than rough, irregular, core-like masses of 

 quartzite which, on account of structural characteristics, were not suit- 

 able for the manufacture of implements (see PI. XXXIII). There is 

 nothing particular in their shape, except for the fact that they are of 

 a size which could easily be grasped in the hand, to show that they 

 were hammer-stones. It is only from the presence on one or more 

 sides of a great amount of abrasion, which could come only from long 

 usage in breaking up and blocking out large masses of hard rock, that 

 their true character can be made out. 



REJECTS AND FLAKES. 



In examining the rejectage about the pits one suffers from the 

 same condition which confronts one at the great chert quarry of 

 Peoria, Indian Territory, namely — the utter lack of knowledge of the 

 finished product. It does not take more than a superficial examina- 

 tion, however, to demonstrate that the material most desired was that 

 which could be worked up either into a long and rather broad lance- 



