SMITHSONIAN ARCH^OLOGICAL COLLECTION. 



35 



not quite obvious in many cases. Certain flattish stones wliich are furrowed 

 with grooves radiating- toward the circumference, may liave been used in the 

 preparation of coi'ds (Fig. 13G, quartzose rock, 'New Jersey). On other stones 

 are seen straight grooves of suitable size for straightening and rounding the 

 shafts of arrows (Fig. 137, chlorite slate, Massachusetts; Fig. 138, com- 

 pact chlorite, Mexico; Fig. 139, hornblende rock, Southern Utah; probably 

 recent). The most conspicuous specimen of this class is a heavy limestone 

 block, bearing on its surface seven deep straight grooves from eight to 

 ten inches in length. This specimen was found in Onondaga County, New 

 York. 



In lieu of the grooved stones some Indian tribes of our time employ for 

 fashioning their arrow-shafts short wooden sticks hollowed longitudinally 

 and coated on the inner side with a cement of coarse qxuxrtz sand and glue. 

 This aboriginal contrivance is illustrated in the collection by several speci- 

 mens obtained from the nearly extinct Mandan tribe. 



I'ln 



)'n 



STONES USED IN' I'OLISIIISG. 



No group of aboriginal relics, perhaps, is more difficult to describe than the 

 stones Avhich have ap])arently served for polishing implements or parts of im- 

 plements of stone, horn, bone, etc., and, i)robably, for smoothing leather and 

 other soft substances. In many cases it is by no means improbable that 

 stones supposed to have been used in those operations were otherwise em- 

 ployed. The difficulty of classing these tools is greatly enhanced by the 

 totally vinfixed character of their appearance, for nearly eveiy stone of suitable 

 size and furnished with a smooth surface could be utilized as a polisher. 

 There is, for instance, in the collection a piece of yellowish jasper, about three 

 inches and a half in diameter, which exhibits eight perfectly smooth and even 

 facets, each of which presents a difterent form. It is difficult to assign to this 

 stone any other use than that of a polisher. The collection contains several 

 specimens of similar, though less striking, character. Other polishers are 

 regularly shaped and carefully worked, and nothing indicates their application 

 as polishing tools but the smoothness of those parts with which the operation 

 was performed. One specimen presents the outline of an oval with truncated 

 ends, which, to judge from their glossy appearance, were used in the polishing 



