22 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Professor Thomas adds that these hut rings " are seldom, if ever, 

 met with except on the site of an ancient village, and often one that 

 was defended by an inclosure." This again differentiates the 

 western and southern forms from those of New York. The latter 

 are scattered or in very small groups, have the depressed center 

 very little below the natural surface, are usually of considerable 

 hight, show the action of fire, but rarely contain ashes or relics of 

 any kind, have no bones or shells, and the earth of which they are 

 composed has been gradually gathered from year to year. With 

 all this difference there is an unmistakable likeness, and no hesitation 

 is felt in calling them the foundations of early lodges. 



Two things naturally arrest attention. There are no bones or 

 shells revealing the food of the inhabitants, though the conditions 

 are favorable for their preservation. Most of them contain no 

 articles made by man. The favorite fresh-water clam of the New 

 York Indians was U n i o c o m p 1 a n a t u s . It is so widely dis- 

 tributed that it probably occurs in Perch lake, though I observed 

 none along the shores. If it is not found there that part of the 

 problem is solved. But these aborigines were there for the fish of 

 the lake, as well as for the game in the woods. Their homes had 

 an easy access to the water. Why are no bones of any kind found 

 under these conditions? The Iroquois sites yield them abundantly. 

 It may be due to an Algonquin superstition. All will agree that 

 these were not Iroquois homes, for they rarely used the circular 

 lodge, which the Algonquins commonly preferred. There were 

 differing tastes and beliefs of other kinds. The Iroquois left bones 

 of every description on the ground. The Algonquin scrupulously 

 gathered up many kinds, and either threw them in the water, or 

 burned them in the fire. 



A single quotation from the Relation of 1634 will illustrate this. 

 The missionary said: 



The savages do not throw the bones of the beaver to the dogs, 

 or of female porcupines, at least certain special bones ; in short they 

 very carefully take pains that the dogs shall eat no bone of birds 

 or* other animals which are taken in a snare. Otherwise they will 

 take no more except with the greatest difficulty; besides there are 

 within a thousand observations, for it is important only that the 



