loo SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



either to purposive removal or the rotting out of the softer core 

 material. Down each side was a smooth edge where the slab had been 

 removed by grooving down both sides and prying or splitting off the 

 horn. There are several rough cuts along one edge. This might be an 

 antler bracelet or other ornament prior to the working down and 

 steaming processes. Fragments of bone or antler bracelets of this type 

 from cache i have already been referred to. 



Work in Shell 



Very little worked shell was found in house i. One flat shell bead 

 (pi. II, fig. 2, d) about 15 mm in diameter with a hole 5 mm across 

 and a thickness of 2 mm was the only artifact of this type encountered. 

 It was ground from the shell of a fresh-water bivalve and retains con- 

 siderable luster. One worked shell (Uniomcrus tetralasnms Say) was 

 noted with one edge serrated for a distance of about 40 mm. Other 

 unworked bivalve shells found in caches and on the floor were in all 

 probability used as spoons. 



No work in copper, nor any indications of basketry or textile work, 

 were encountered. Cordage was indicated only by the cord-marked 

 pottery. The lack of certain perishable materials naturally does not 

 indicate their absence from the culture here represented. The site 

 presented no unusual circumstances for preservation of perishable 

 materials, and as a result this type of artifact had vanished. 



Animal and Molluscan Remains 



Owing to the lack of comparative material at the University of 

 Nebraska, it was impossible to obtain a complete list of the fauna 

 represented at the Lost Creek site. However, certain animal forms 

 were easily identified and in some cases it was possible to check the 

 animal remains against known material. The most abundant remains 

 were those of the bison. Broken marrow bones of this species were 

 fairly common as well as skull fragments and teeth. No complete 

 skulls, horn cases, or horn cores were noted. Wapiti and deer (white 

 tail and possibly mule deer) bones and antlers were almost equally 

 numerous. Remains of the antelope were also found. One fragment 

 of a dog's skull and a perforated canine of a wolf or large coyote were 

 noted. Without sufficient comparative material it is impossible to posi- 

 tively distinguish between these three species. Several beaver teeth, 

 raccoon and rabbit (both jack rabbit and cottontail) bones, and a large 

 number of rodent bones were also noted. The prairie dog was the most 

 common species among the latter remains, but it was impossible to 



