RELICS OF THE STONE AGE IN NOVA SCOTIA PIERS. 35 



spicious bevels, thus forming the edges. The specimen is 

 unlabelled, but all of the implements in the collection of which 

 it forms part are understood to have been found in Nova Scotia. 

 Ground stone implements of this kind are extremely rare in the 

 province. Dr. J. B. Gilpin in his account of the stone age of 

 Nova Scotia (Transactions N. 8. I. A r . S., vol. iii.) mentions an 

 arrow-head which was polished like a celt and made of hardened 

 slate ; and a spear-head also of slate, similarly fashioned, is 

 referred to in my account of the aboriginal remains in the 

 Provincial Museum. These are all which have come to my 

 notice. 



Before passing to the next class, I may repeat that I consider 

 it extremely unlikely that the implements now under notice 

 were actually used as spear-points. Arrow-shaped implements 

 more than 275 inches in length, have been denominated 

 spear-heads in this paper more from the general custom of 

 archaeologists than my own inclinations. Lescarbot makes no 

 mention of spears as one of the weapons of the Micmacs or 

 Souriquois of his day, although he enumerates with a good deal 

 of detail their other implements of war, such as bows and arrows, 

 and clubs.* This negative evidence has not been sufficiently 

 noted. It is far more probable that most of the so-called 

 spear-heads and leaf-shaped implements found in Nova Scotia, 

 are knives. Our Micmacs had stone tools for fashioning bows 

 and arrow-shafts and for skinning animals, and yet they are 

 seldom recognized by collectors. This indicates that the Indian 

 knife has been confounded with some other implement which it 

 resembles. " Collectors are very ready," says Dr. Rau, " to class 

 chipped stone articles of certain forms occurring throughout the 

 United States as arrow- and lance-heads." Such has been much 

 the habit of our local writers. The spear-shaped implements must 

 be considered as being fairly adapted for cutting. The Pai-Utes of 

 Southern Utah, up to the present time employ as knives, blades 



* Rev. John Mecklenburg, or as he classically wrote his name, Johannes Megapol- 

 ensis, in his Short Account of the Maquas Indians in Neiv Netherlands written in 1644, 

 also makes no mention of spears as weapons of war among the Indians of that locality* 

 He speaks of bows and arrows, stone axes and mallets. 



