Noie on the Manufacture of Stone Axes. 345 



so cominou incur Archaeological Museum?, bored the holes, throuirh the 

 hammer and axe-head.s into which the handles were put. The greater 

 part of these tools and weapons were doubtless attached to the ends of 

 split sticks and secured by withes. But not a few are pierced from 

 side to side with a clean and round hole. The sides of this hole, on 

 inspection, show a set of circular markings, proving that it was drilled 

 out by some implement which was kept in rotatory motion. But the 

 exact nature of the instrument and the method of using it are yet 

 quite undetermined. 



Some yeai's ago, the writer was spending a morning, in the Archaeo- 

 logical Museum in Edinbujgh, with the Curator, jNIr. Anderson, when 

 this subject came up. It was suggested by the sight of a piece of stone, 

 unique, in the collection, nearly cylindrical in shape about an inch in 

 diameter, and rubbed at one end, so that it Avas quite smooth arid pol- 

 ished. At the same time the smooth end was marked with concen- 

 tric rings, that immediately suggested to the writer's mind the thought, 

 that it had been used for boring a hole through some other piece of 

 stone. Ou examining a number of the axe-heads, not one could be 

 found the hole in Avhich it exactly fitted. This fact, however, is by 

 no means conclusive against its having been used for such a purpose. 



Being made, I believe, of greenstone, which possesses no grit, it must 

 have been aided by sand. The use of this as an assistant in grinding 

 seems to involve no very high degree of civilization, but I am unable 

 to recollect, if any evidence of its employment for this purpose has 

 been discovered in ancient times, and also if it is now so used Ijy the 

 Indians of this continent, where they exist in their aboriginal condition 

 or nearly so. 



Another suggestion has been made concerning the method of bor- 

 ing these axe -heads. I have not the work within reach at present, 

 but it may be found, if I mistake not, in Keller's Lake Dsvellings of 

 Switzerland. It is, that the holes were made by means of a cylinder of 

 wood, either hollow or full of pith, like a cane or a piece of alder. 

 This is supposed to have been aided by sand and kept in quick rota- 

 tion backwards and forwards between the palms of the two hands. 

 No doubt the wood would be worn away much more rapidly than the 

 stone, but it could be readily renewed. This process like the other 

 involves an acquaintance with the use of sand for grinding. 



It is obvious, at a glance, that the latter method would be by far the 

 more advantageous of the two, mechanically. It would cut out a hole 

 as large as the former, but the material removed would not all be 

 ground to powder. A core would be left and afterwards broken oft' in 

 the solid state serving while it remained iu the hole to keep the borer in 



