ETHNOLOGY. 371 



of implements denoting any connexion with the later iron age occnrrcd, and the 

 only objects on which the art of man had been practiced beyond tlu; pottery and 

 flint weapon-heads were bones shai-pened into awls, one of which was obtained 

 in a very perfect state. 



In the midst, but more abundantly at the bottom, of the refuse deposits 

 occurred rounded stones, from the size of a man's clenched hand and upwards, 

 bearing evident traces of having undergone the action of fire. These stones are 

 precisely similar to those found on the beach beneath. 



At the bottom of the refuse heap, which occurred at a distance of eighteen 

 inches from the surface, a layer of black soil came two inches thick ; then a 

 layer of white brown sand of the same thickness ; then came a reddish colored 

 earth, getting lighter as the spade went down, until the original foundation of 

 hardened drift proclaimed no further investigation necessary in that direction. 

 Taking a general view of the surface, the observer naturally supposed that the 

 rounded granitic boulders which lie scattered on the heap had afforded seats for 

 the primitive people, who rudely cooked their food at this encampment on the 

 edge of the Avild forest ; nor was the supposition incorrect, for on digging around 

 these boulders greater masses of shells, and more evident traces of lire were 

 apparent than in other parts of the heap. The charcoal, in some instances, had 

 lost but little of its former consistency, while in others it powdered into dust on 

 being handled. This probably arose from the nature of the wood, some kinds 

 affording a hard charcoal, and others soft. 



The Fauna of this Nova Scotian 'kjo>khcn-m(Kdd'mg., so far as it could be 

 ascertained, was as follows : Of mammals, the moose, ( Cervus alces,) the bear, 

 (Ursus americanus,) the beaver, ( Castor canadensis,) and the porcupine, ( Hys- 

 trix dorsata,) were noticed; the beaver and porcupine by their teeth, which, from 

 their brightness and compactness, might just have been taken from the jaw. A 

 beaver's tooth had the root part rubbed, and smoothed to a head, giving, with 

 its chisel-like point, the appearance of an instrument for cutting. Some of 

 these teeth were jagged on their edges as if by artificial means. The bones 

 of the animals had been broken, and, with the exception of a fcAV very small 

 ones, none were obtained whole. Of birds, there were the bones of different 

 species, some very large, and evidently belonging to a bird much larger than the 

 great northern diver, ( (Jolymhus glaclalis,) which is one of the largest wild 

 birds in the colony at the present clay. The bird bones were also more or less 

 broken, and one in particular had been opened by means of a cutting instrument 

 down the side. Of fishes, the vertebrse of two or three species, the largest 

 measuring about an inch in diameter, while two or three specimens of the oper- 

 cular spines of the Norway haddock, ( Sebastes norwegians,) were procured 

 among the debris in a perfect state, which led to the supposition that they were 

 used for some purpose, such as pricking holes. Of moUusks, the most common 

 were the quahog, ( Venus merccnaria,) clam, (Mya arcnaria,) scallop, (Pecten 

 islandmis,) Cre-pidula furnkata and Mytilus eduUs. Of the two former species 

 nearly the whole mass of shell consisted. The mussel shells had become so 

 friable that the slightest touch was sufficient to break them. 



Time did not permit, however, a closer examination to be made on this first 

 visit to the mounds ; but isome members of the Institute, aware of the interest 

 attaching to the subject, have decided upon camping out during the ensuing 

 summer in the vicinity of other deposits known to exist in various places, and 

 hope, by thoroughly excavating the several mounds, to bring to light specimens 

 which will doubtless help to prove the age in which they were constructed, and 

 the similarity which existed between the manner and customs of the race who 

 formed them, and the constructors of those placed in like positions on the shores 



of Denmark and Northern Europe. 



J. M. JONES, 

 President of the Institute of Natural Sciences. 



