358 ETHNOLOGY. 



it was figure 198, an ordinary water-worn pebble. The under side of 

 this stone is worn smooth by rubbing against the sides and bottom of 

 the basin of the corn-mill. 



Of the large stationary mortars, but little can be said that has not 

 already been mentioned in reference to the portable examples. They 

 are generally larger in diameter and of greater depth, and could be 

 used only with the long pestles. The vast majority of these stationary 

 mortars are natural " pot-holes ;" possibly, in some cases, deepened iu- 

 tentionally, or by long usage in crushing corn. Such a " pot-hole," used 

 as a mortar, formerly existed in a large glacial bowlder in Centre street, 

 Trenton, N. J. (Figure 199.) That this was used as a " pot-hole" is evi- 

 denced by the circumstance that on excavating to remove the rock, 

 several broken i)estles were brought to light, also a stone ax and several 

 dozens of spear and arrow heads of various sizes. 



" Hunter informs us that in some of the Indian villages visited by 

 him, there were one or two large stone mortars for pounding corn, which 

 were public property. These were placed in a central part of the village, 

 and were used in rotation by the different families."* 



Wooden mortars were also used by the aborigines, stumps of hard- 

 wood trees being worn off and hollowed out. With these a stone pestle, 

 sometimes suspended to an elastic branch of a tree, was used ; but it 

 would seem that such a mortar, necessarily yielding to the blows of a 

 stone pestle, would but very slowly reduce corn to meal. 



As even the smaller of these corn-mills are quite heavy, and the true 

 mortars, of course, immovable, it is probable that two stones, of moder- 

 ately smooth surface, were used as a " corn-mill " when merely a dish of 

 mush or a cake was demanded. While there were a few permanent 

 towns, the great bulk of the aborigines were constantly changing their 

 quarters, and we doubt, therefore, if the majority of their corn was 

 ground either in portable corn-mills or stationary mortars. Besides 

 maize, other articles of diet were reduced in the " corn-mills." Loskiel 

 states that they grind the maize " as fine as flour by means of a wooden 

 pestle and mortar j" so, possibly, the stone mortars were intended for 

 other articles, such as shell-fish, nuts, and berries. 



Of the Delaware Indians t the same author says : "They are fond of 

 muscles and oysters, and those who live near an oyster-bed will subsist 

 for weeks together upon them. They also eat the land-tortoise, which 

 is about a span broad, and rather more in length ; and even locusts are 

 used for food. These come frequently in large swarms, covering and 

 destroying even the bark of the trees." 



As the oysters and muscles were also dried in large quantities for 

 winter use, it is very probable that portable corn-mills were used to 

 reduce the dried shell-fish to a sort of powder or pulp. This, mixed 



* Flint-Chips, p. 54G, quoting from Huuter's Manners and Customs of Indian 

 Tribes, p. 269. 



t Mission to North American Indians, p. G7. London : 1794. 



