TRACES OF AN EARLY RACE IN JAPAN. 



263 



occurrence throughout the empire of stone celts, finished arrow-heads, 

 and spear-points and pestles, is common. These might or might not 

 have belonged to the Ainos, though, as similar forms occur in Yesso, the 

 probability is that many of them at least are of early Aino manufacture. 

 It is significant, however, to observe that the few stone implements found 

 in the Omori beds are of the rudest manufacture ; and, furthermore, that 

 no shell-heap that I know of has revealed a less number, the two shown 

 in Figs. 28 and 29 being made of a soft volcanic rock. Curiously enough, 

 most of the other implements were made out of deer's-horns, only one 

 being of bone (Fig. 21, evidently the end of a deer's metatarsal). An 

 exquisitely finished arrow-point (Fig. 25) was fabricated out of a boar's 

 tusk. 



The bones of birds were not common. I searched in vain for traces 

 of the great auk, the remains of which are so widely met with in Den- 

 mark and New England. Though ponderous shells of various species 

 occur in the heap, no evidence was found that these were worked in 

 any way. 



Fig. 19- 



Fig. 18 is a piece of pottery that may be a spindle- whorl— diameter, 70 mm. 



Fig. 19 is a small clay brick, 55 mm. in length. This is ornamented on both sides. It is difflcnlt 

 to conjecture its use. I have lour more in the collection at the university, much larger and orna- 

 mented in a different manner. These are possibly amulets, or perhaps signs of otflce or authoritj'. 

 I think they are unique. 



A fragment of a spindle-whorl is shown in Fig. 18. A peculiar 

 tablet, or brick of clay, curiously ornamented, is shown in Fig. 19. 

 Nothing of the kind, so far as I know, has been found in the shell-heaps 

 of other parts of the world. It is difficult even to conjecture its use. 



The most important discoveries connected with the Omori deposits 

 are the unquestionable evidences of cannibalism. Large fragments of 

 the human femur, humerus, radius, ulna, lower jaw, and parietal bone, 

 were found widely scattered in the heap. These were broken in pre- 

 cisely the same manner as the deer-bones — either to get them into the 

 cooking-vessel, or for the purpose of extracting the marrow — in all 

 respects corresponding to the facts cited by Wyman in proof of the 

 evidences of cannibalism found in the Florida and New England shell- 

 heaps. 



