85 



Fig. 3. 



Among the many interesting specimens secured for the 

 Museum of the Academy, by Mr. 

 John H. Sears, is a knife of dark 

 talcose slate which is unlike any 

 other that I have seen. The 

 specimen is represented as figure 

 3. It was found near the church 

 in Putnam ville (Danvers) and is 

 thus of marked interest to us as 

 a relic from Essex County. It 

 is slightly over five inches in 

 length, and about one and one- 

 half inches in depth at its centre. 

 It is worked to a rounded point 

 at each end, as shown by the en- 

 graving, and the smooth cutting 

 edge is from point to point. The 

 greatest thickness of the blade is 

 one-fifth of an inch. The back 

 of the knife is ground off to quite 

 a thin edge, but evidently was 

 never sharpened to form a cut- 

 ting edge, though the back is so 

 thin as to render its being held 

 in the hand an uncomfortable 

 matter while using the knife in 

 this way, and the three holes that 

 have been rudely cut, apparently 

 by scraping backwards and for- 

 wards with a pointed stone, on 

 both sides, until a hole was 



made, are evidence that the Knife made of darfTtalcoseslate, 



knife was mounted on a handle ^om Putnamviiie. resize. 

 by passing bands through the holes and around the handle, 

 ESSEX IN ST. BULLETIN. v 8 



