

6/8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



was dug out and carted away, the shell pits, fireplaces and refuse 

 dump of a large village were exposed and many examined by us. 

 Later the village cemetery also came to light. Probably from fifty 

 to one hundred pits were exposed in all, during the years 1903-7 

 and the contents of most of these were lost. These pits were bowl- 

 shaped and, like those at the site at Arlington station, averaged from 

 4 to 6 feet. In some cases the pits had the appearance of having been 

 used for some time, probably as garbage dumps. A layer of fresh, 

 clean sand having been thrown over them when they became offen- 

 sive, a new deposit of refuse was started, a practice which now may 

 be observed sometimes among both whites and Indians. In one case, 

 the complete skeleton of a dog, laid out in regular order on one side, 

 was found. It was buried at a considerable depth, and covered with 

 a layer of oyster shells and charcoal. The abundance of potsherds 

 on this site was remarkable, and the earthenware varied greatly in 

 quality and design. The majority of the specimens were of the 

 typical Algonkin type, but some were distinctly Iroquoian in design. 

 The constricted neck, raised and peaked rim, notched angle, and, in 

 one case, a crude attempt at depicting the human face, pointed 

 clearly to the influence of the Mohawk or other Iroquois. The 

 fragments of the vessel just referred to showed the pot to have been 

 one of very large size. It was decorated by a series of incised lines 

 in a sort of chevron pattern ; at intervals, curious little knobs occurred 

 on which the human face was represented by three incised lines, two 

 for the eyes and one for the mouth. As far as the writer knows, 

 no other article has been obtained in this neighborhood. Implements 

 of bone and antler were comparatively abundant, though lacking in 

 variety. They comprised bone awls, antler cylinders and turtleshell 

 cups. ,.A notable object was a fragment of an antler implement ap- 

 parently a pin, which had a carved head. Stone implements, such as 

 arrow points and grooved axes, were fairly abundant ; but no celts 

 occurred. At first no burials were discovered ; but later, widening the 

 railroad cut disclosed many on the southerly side of the knoll on 

 which the village was situated. The skeletons were found beneath 3 

 or 4 feet of sand, as a rule ; and in the case of regular burial, always 

 with arms and knees flexed. As many as four of these were found 

 in one grave. No relics of any kind occurred with them except in 

 one instance. 1 In some instances " bone burials " occurred. Appar- 

 ently the flesh had been allowed to rot away from the bones; they 



1 The graves explored by George H. Pepper at Tottenville, some years 

 ago, were different in that they almost invariably contained relics. 



