~\i NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



these might well be described and illustrated as Xew York speci- 

 mencj. Those found in the mound at Brockville are merely sepa- 

 rated from the New York shore bv the St Lawrence, and are like 

 those found elsewhere in the state. 



The collection of Mr A. E. Douglass, of Xew York city, 

 includes 7S copper objects, mainly from Ohio. He does not state 

 how many are of native copper, but divides them into spears, 

 celts, knives, hammers, vessels, beads in lots, bracelets, imple- 

 ments, ornaments, tubes, pipes, arrows and grooved axes. Of 

 these one arrow, one implement, two bracelets and six orna- 

 ments are from Xew York. Xearlv half are from Ohio. 



Prof. George H. Perkins has described and figured some of the 

 native copjjer implements of Vermont and Dr Abbott has illus- 

 trated a celt from Maine. Some copper articles have been found 

 in Manitoba, but these do not essentially differ from those farther 

 east. Excepting a small space in Ohio distinguished by quite 

 remarkable articles, there is thus a very large district in which 

 nearly all native copjDer relics are practically of the same types. 



It must be remembered that the occurrence of these in the 

 territories of historic nations is no evidence that thev were made 

 bv them. Thev are scattered all through the territorv of the 

 Iroquois family, but are not found on the village sites of that 

 people, early or late. The presumption is that they were made 

 by an earlier people still. They are found in the land of the 

 Lenape, but we must connect them with known villages of that 

 people before we can assert they were made by them. As far as 

 evidence goes, in the eastern states they were usually lost by the 

 wayside or in temporary camps, or else were buried with the 

 dead. An observation by Dr D. S. Kellogg on those of Lake 

 €hami>lain is worthy of attention. " Of copper spearheads, 

 hatchets and gouges about two dozen have been found. These 

 have been entirely surface or field finds. Not a single copper 

 relic has as yet (1SS7) been obtained from a dwelling site." This 

 is not invariable elsewhere, but is a general rule having im- 

 portance. In New York, at least, all native copper articles may 

 be safely called prehistoric. 



