224 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



contained the usual refuse such as fish bones, bird stones, chips, 

 potsherds, broken implements, ashes and charcoal. 



As mentioned before, a number of pits had been dug into earlier 

 graves. Pit 40 was another case in point. This pit was originally 

 a grave, and contained parts of an extended skeleton, but had been 

 later disturbed by an ash pit, reaching nearly down to the bones and 

 containing hundreds of charred acorns. 



What was the purpose of these pits, so numerous on Indian sites 

 throughout the East? The answer seems to be quite simple. 

 Although differing slightly with individual pits, as a rule they seem 

 to have been dug for use as ovens, clam-bake style, and the presence 

 of fire-cracked stones in many of them helps support that theory. 

 Most of them have evidently been used a number of times at least, 

 at varying intervals, as shown by the ash layers separated by 

 accumulation of dirt broken down from the sides and miscellaneous 

 rubbish, for which these pits doubtless served as handy repositories. 

 Some had been filled up after being used but a short time, others 

 had been made to do duty as graves perhaps in the winter when 

 the surrounding ground was frozen. Several showed indications of 

 having been corn-caches or receptacles for storing corn, well known 

 to have been used by Iroquoian peoples and frequently to be found 

 on their village sites. The green corn pit 28 was explained to me 

 by a Seneca who described the ancient receipt for the preparation 

 of green corn. He described how the Indians used to build a fire 

 in a pit dug for the purpose, withdrawing it when the earth was 

 sufficiently heated. They then lined the hot pit with green grass 

 and husks, put in their corn, covered it with grass and husks over 

 which was placed a protecting layer of cold ashes, rebuilding the 

 fire above it and thus roasting the corn to perfection. In the case 

 of pit 28 the fire had evidently been left burning too long. Probably 

 this " clam-bake " method was used for other foods as well ; hence 

 the numerous pits. 



Less definite and harder to explain than the pits, yet, one might 

 say, shading into them, were the irregular depressions and deposits 

 classified as ash beds. These were scattered over the southern part of 

 the inclosure and did not seem to have definite outline. Some were 

 as much as 10 feet across, but seldom reached a depth of more 

 than a few inches below the plow-torn layer. The name is self- 

 explanatory; they were merely layers of ashes and stained earth 

 with scattering animal bones and artifacts. In one case, however, 

 we found part of a charred rush mat rolled on a stick, but this unfor- 

 tunately fell to pieces. 



