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BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[Bull. 182 



INCHES 



Figure IS. — Patella-shaped sling stones. 



A few of the larger flakes of cliert and rliyolite have been con- 

 verted into bifacially chipped disks (pi. 30). Percussion flaking has 

 rounded and thinned down these flakes into this form and their uses 

 are problematical. In most cases there has been no additional re- 

 touching of the edges, so that they could as easily have served as small 

 choppers, but this is doubtful. There is some variation as to overall 

 size but most are oval in general outline. The longest and largest of 

 these specimens measure 73 mm. in length, 49 mm. in width, and 16 

 mm. in maximmn thickness ; the widest example measures 69 mm. in 

 length, 57 mm. in width, and 17 mm. in thickness ; the smallest meas- 

 ures 55 mm. in length, 37 mm. in width, and 11 mm. in thickness. 



Then, too, there are a number of smaller chert disks that have the 

 configuration of the human patella (fig. 15). All are bifaced and 

 were trimmed by means of percussion flaking. Four good examples 

 are represented in the collection. Some have additional retouching on 

 only one face. Whether they were multipurpose tools, such as scrap- 

 ers, knives, etc., cannot be determined. The largest specimen in the 

 group measures 39 mm. in greatest diameter, 38 mm. in greatest width, 

 and 9 mm. in maximum thickness, while the smallest measures 35 mm. 

 in greatest diameter, 30 mm. in greatest width, and 6 mm. in maximum 

 thickness. 



These stones have been tentatively identified as being "sling-stones" 

 (Evans, 1897, fig. 350, pp. 417-420) . Flat edged stones, such as these, 



