THE MUSEUM. 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. II. 



ALBION, N Y.. JUNE 15. 1896. 



No. 8 



Notes from the Mohawk's 

 Country. 



p. M. \ AN EPPS. 



(VI) 



AT THE HELDEUBERGS. 



Those who have not e.xperimented 

 or looked into the subject would hard- 

 ly believe it possible that a sliver of 

 flint could have such a keen sharp 

 edge that comparison with a sharp 

 razor or line-edged surgical knife 

 would not be far fetched, yet such is 

 the case as I found to my annoyance 

 when after cracking open some cubes 

 of a solid black flint I realized that I 

 had sliced the end of a finger nearly to 

 tiie bone. So fearfully keen was the 

 edge of the sliver that the cutting was 

 not felt, and not until a stinging sen- 

 sation was experienced followed by a 

 copious flow of blood, did I realize 

 that I had unwittingly experimented 

 with a second- cousin of the sacred sac- 

 rificial knife of the ancient Aztecs. It 

 is customary to class certain chipped 

 flint implements that are in shape 

 thicker and heavier than arrow or 

 spear-heads, as knives. Some of these 

 in outline have a shape very sugges- 

 tive of a knife blade, and perhaps they 

 were used as such, but what would 

 they cut.' These implements all have 

 an edge produced by secondary or 

 even tertiary chipping, and some of 

 them are quite sharp, but compared 

 with the sharpness of a sliver produc- 



ed by one blow their edge is as the 

 edge of a hoe. It is true that these 

 slivers would make very fragile and 

 short-lived knives, but the material 

 was plentiful and the art and labor of 

 manufacture very simple, and I have 

 no doubt but that many such were 

 used. If so, this would account for 

 the numerous flint chips of indubitable 

 aboriginal placing which are found 

 scattered over territory which is not 

 only remote from any natural supply 

 of the material, but which was used 

 only as huntinggrounds by the Indians. 

 I have found numbers of such and in- 

 deed the whole region abounds with 

 them. What would be easier for the 

 red hunter than to carry a small sup- 

 ply of these sliver knives or a core of 

 flint from which they could be struck 

 with ease by aid of a pebble from the 

 strtam -or soil. Mr. Evans in speak- 

 ing of flint flakes occurring in England 

 says, "Each flake, when dexterously 

 made, has on either side a cutting 

 edge, so sharp that it almost might, 

 like the obsidian flakes of Mexico, be 

 used to shave with. As long as this 

 edge is used merely for cutting soft 

 substances it may remain for some- 

 time comparitively uninjured, and 

 even if slightly jagged its cutting pow- 

 er is not impaired " 



It is said of the obsidian flakes used 

 by the ancient people of Mexico, that 

 their edge was as keen as if they had 

 been forged in iron, ground on a stone, 



