214  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    96 
acutely  beveled  spur  which  has  already  been  described  from  Seklow- 
aghyaget  and  houses  no.  8  and  9.  The  depth  distribution  of  the  type 
III  (b)  X  heads  is  as  follows:  Cut  i,  depth  8  inches  (7)  ;  16  inches 
(5)  ;  24  inches  (5)  ;  32  inches  (10).  Cut  2,  depth  10  inches  (2)  (pi. 
71,  fig.  25)  ;  20  inches  (4)  (pi.  71,  fig.  24).  This  type  of  harpoon 
head,  which  is  the  latest  of  the  prehistoric  forms  on  St.  Lawrence 
Island,  afifords  evidence  of  an  interesting  metamorphosis,  the  last  and 
one  of  the  most  striking  of  the  long  series  of  developmental  changes 
which  began  as  far  back  as  the  Old  Bering  Sea  period  at  Miyowagh. 
This  final  step  is  of  particular  interest  in  that  it  shows  the  precise 
manner  in  which  the  modern  St.  Lawrence  head  developed.  We  have 
already  seen  how  in  the  type  III  (b)  x  heads  the  inward  inclination 
of  the  socket  walls  produced  a  socket  which  though  still  "  open  " 
actually  functioned  as  a  closed  socket.  The  present  examples  illustrate 
the  last  stage  in  this  process:  Plate  71,  figure  24,  which  has  a  socket 
of  this  kind,  differs  from  the  somewhat  earlier  examples  of  the  type 
in  having  a  large  triangular  line  hole  with  deeply  beveled  lower  bor- 
der which  is  characteristic  of  the  modern  type  (pi.  71,  figs.  26,  27)  ; 
plate  71,  figure  25,  is  a  still  closer  approach,  showing  not  only  the 
large  triangular  line  hole  with  the  deep,  wide  groove  below,  but  also 
the  rounded,  thickened  shape  of  the  modern  head.  As  may  readily 
be  seen,  this  particular  specimen  and  also  plate  71,  figure  20,  (and 
three  others  not  illustrated),  differ  from  the  modern  type  only  in 
that  they  have  "  open  "  sockets. 
Plate  71,  figure  26,  from  house  no.  10  (abandoned  some  50  years 
ago),  and  the  iron  bladed  head,  figure  27,  collected  by  E.  W.  Nelson 
in  1879,  are  examples  of  the  modern  St.  Lawrence  form  in  which  a 
round  drilled  socket  has  replaced  the  wedge-shaped,  barely  open,  cut 
out  socket  of  type  III  (b)  x.  We  thus  have  evidence  of  a  rather  un- 
usual condition,  a  late  reversion  or  secondary  evolution  whereby  the 
closed  socket  harpoon  head,  which  was  prominent  during  the  Old 
Bering  Sea  period  but  which  seems  to  have  practically  disappeared 
during  the  late  Punuk,  appears  again  as  a  direct  outgrowth  of  a  late 
form  of  the  open  socket  head.  Although  there  is  clear  typological 
and  stratigraphical  evidence  that  this  particular  metamorphosis  actually 
occurred,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  idea  of  a  closed  socket 
per  se  was  anything  new  to  these  Eskimos ;  for  whaling  harpoon  heads, 
which  had  been  in  common  use  from  the  Punuk  stage  on,  had  always 
had  closed  sockets. 
Plate  71,  figure  29,  is  another  modern  St.  Lawrence  head,  collected 
by  Riley  D.  Moore.  It  is  an  example  of  the  rather  uncommon  modern 
form  in  which  the  blade  is  at  right  angles  to  the  line  hole.  Its  prototype 
