34 



PECKED, GKOUND AND POLISHED STONE. 



sylvania). Like many other aboriginal relics, pierced tablets occur in sepul 

 chral mounds as well as on the surface of the ground. Those taken from 

 mounds are said to have mostly been found by the side of the skeleton, or 

 near the bones of the hand. 



Allied to the pierced tablets are certain boat-shaped articles, either solid or 

 hollowed on one side, and perforated with two holes, mostly of conical form, 

 and placed near the middle or the extremities of the objects. These relics, 

 though agreeing in general character, differ much in the details of their execu 

 tion, some being of nearly oval, others of rectangular outline, while the cavity, 

 when it occurs, is sometimes shallow, but in other cases so deep as to give the 

 object almost the appearance of a shell. In a few instances the perforations 

 are altogether wanting. Such specimens, however, may have remained in an 

 unfinished state. The objects in question are nearly always well fashioned 

 and polished, their material consisting sometimes of porphyritic syenite, 

 greenstone, etc., but occasionally of softer substances, such as slates, among 

 which the striped variety seems to prevail. Their purpose, probably, was 

 similar to that for which the pierced tablets were designed (Fig. 134, striped 

 slate, Ohio; Fig. 135, greenstone, Kentucky). 



13, Stones USed in Grinding and Polishing, There are in the archaeolog 

 ical department of the National Museum many stones marked with hollow 



138 



STONES USED IN GRINDING, ETC. (. 



faces, grooves, or notches, which were apparently produced by the grinding 

 or sharpening of tools, or by the process of smoothing and condensing cords 

 of animal or vegetable material. The more special uses of these relics are 



