A PREHISTORIC ROULETTE WEDEL AXD TliOWlSRIDGE 583 



the northeast in Phitte County, Mo. (Wedel, 1938). Tentatively, 

 both sites have been assigned to a western Hopewellian mamfestation. 

 On June 1 1 , 1939, a small object at first believed to be made of bone 

 was uncovered near the southern border of the site. It was 14 inches 

 below the top of the cultural horizon, at a depth below the present 

 surface of 26 inches. Unassociated with any feature indicative of its 

 use it had apparentlv been discarded by its aboriginal owner because of 

 breakage. On January 15, 1940, it was forwarded to the National 

 Museum for examination by the senior writer. 



Figure 49.— End and side views of roulette (X 1). 



The material of which the specimen was fashioned, though super- 

 ficially much altered in the process of dressing and fin-fl""?- '^ t™'*" 

 tivelv identified bv the division of mammals. United States National 

 Mt^eum IS deerhorn from a "spike" buck. The base of the horn has 

 b r"ro „Kl oft about the edges, where the "burr" normally occurs 

 n 1 i: convex in profile. Above tlus base the specimen con ract^ 

 rapidly in size, tapering out to a round stem carved from the s of 

 the horn, and broken at the end. Its general "PPe-a-e In-^s 

 much like the head and upper end of an ordinary straight puK The 

 head of the "pin" is slightly elliptical (fig. 49 a) and measures 22 by 4 

 mm. The periphery, thin and sharpish (fig. «- *>• ^as W maU 

 V-shaped notches, wliich are unequally spaced. At the biol.en ena 

 th s tern 16 mm in diameter. The overall length which offers no 

 lue to i original length, is now about 35 mm. As is shown in figu 

 49 V the stem is not iirtl.; center of the head, nor does it rise a a rig 

 tn.; wit he plane of the notched edge. This placement, in al 

 ; otbiht dieted by the natural ™"f»""f-> "J "';:::;:; X' 

 fs most advantageous for the use to "'1'-^ ''V^', 'h no be' d"; 

 was put. All the surfaces have been smoothed, and the note bed ea„e 



''?Xe:,\;e 1:,:".:™:;: held hghtly between ,„uml, and nulex linger 

 . :Z m plaslic cay it leaves -^ed V-shape In 



or "55 mm. are probably possible, but when made by "«!>' ™oe 

 hands these tend to lose their uniformly even curve. At the 



