2 68 IN AUTUMN. 



ered along our seaboard, from Maine to Mary- 

 land, contains examples of identical objects. Of 

 course, the Indians might have used indeed, 

 did use such hammers and anvils, but, consid- 

 ering all the evidence, and not merely a part of it, 

 it does not follow that all hammers and anvils are 

 of Indian origin. I have only made incidental 

 mention of the historic Indian, and nothing fur- 

 ther is necessary. He plays an important part 

 in our early history, but his origin is yet to be 

 deciphered from many sources. His arrival in 

 the river's valley dates, as we reckon years, long, 

 long ago; but no evidence is as yet forthcoming 

 that it was prior to the valley's practically pres- 

 ent physical aspect. 



Let us consider these rude argillite spear- 

 points, and the circumstances under which they 

 occur, a little more closely. In this magazine 

 (January, 1883), I based the opinion that these 

 objects were of an earlier and other than Indian 

 origin, because of their occurrence in so many 

 localities at a depth greater than that at which 

 jasper and quartz arrow-heads are found. In 

 other words, the plow unearths the Indian relics 

 in great quantities ; but, my digging deeper, ob- 

 jects of argillite are found in significant numbers. 

 In this earlier communication to the magazine, 

 reference was made only to scattered objects ; but 

 now I propose to call attention to strictly surface- 



