372 ETHNOLOGY. 



upper side is more uneven, liaviug zigzag ridges made by the deep chip- 

 jiiugs wliicli produce the large serrations so noticeable upou the outer 

 side of the implement. Before being broken, the character of the chip- 

 ping and general appearance of the fragment were, as thej' even now 

 are, totally different from anything we have seen in chipped jasper, 

 either from ]!^ew Jersey or other localities. The other "half" of the 

 specimen still left the implement incomplete, which appeared to have 

 been much the size and shape of a modern horseshoe. Before it was 

 broken, this specimen bore much resemblance to one of a number of flint 

 implements from Honduras, described by Dr. Daniel Wilson,* with an 

 illui^tration ; and also figured and described by E. T. Stevens.t One of 

 these Honduras s])ecimens is " a crescent with projecting points." It is 

 said to measure seventeen inches in greatest length. This New Jersey 

 fragment is a portion of a crescent, untJiout projecting points, which was 

 about ten inches in greatest length. Whatever may have been the 

 object of this Honduras crescent, in all probabilitj^ the same object was 

 had in view in our New Jersey specimen, and we know of no more inter- 

 esting instance of similarity between specimens of distant localities 

 than occurs in this case, unsatisfactory though it may be, in consequence 

 of our specimen being but a small fragment of the original implement. 



Figure lilG represents a very curious and interesting form of stone im- 

 l^lement, of a pattern of which we have seen but this one example, which 

 is in the possession of Joseph Newbold, esq., of Burlington County, 

 New Jersey. The specimen is a polished horn-stone pebble, perfectly 

 flat upon one side, and rounded, edged, grooved, and conically headed 

 upon the other. It measures seven and a half inches in length and two 

 and three-eighth inches in greatest width, this point being about one 

 inch and three-quarters from the end, which is brought to a sharp cut- 

 ting-edge. Four and a quarter inches from this cutting-edge in front, 

 the implement narrows very decidedly, and is also here grooved, the 

 groove being something over an inch in widtli. The groove is followed 

 by a conical head an inch and seven-eightbs in length, the base being 

 of equal width with the opposite margin of the groove and "waist" 

 of the implement. The cutting-edge of this, specimen is so carefully 

 worked and is still so well preserved that it cannot be overlooked in 

 considering the probable use of such an implement. If we look only to 

 the edge, we naturally conclude that it was a skinning-kuife, of a some- 

 what peculiar pattern, being flat upon one side; but when we take into 

 consideration the length of the l)lade and the wide and well-wrougbt 

 groove and conical head, we are forced to believe that it was not made 

 for any but an important purpose ; and as that was not, could not hare 

 hccn, with reference to tbe skinning of animals, what was its use? 



As stated, we have seen but this one specimen, and find, on iiupiiry, 

 no one possessing such an imi)lement in his cabinet, or admitting that 

 he had ever seen its like. Tbe published works to which we bave 

 " Prehistoric Man, 2d ed., p. 139, tig. 7. t Fliut Chips, p. 289, pi. i. 



