96 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 182 



who prefers the term "retouchoir" stating that their extremities were 

 often worn smooth through use. These tools served to flake by pres- 

 sure (retouch) the various stone unplements, and in so doing the 

 tendency would be to smooth down the edges of the flaking tool. 



In the present collection there are a number of just such tools that 

 are made of chert, extremely heavily patinated, and varying as to 

 size (fig. 9). The smallest and best-chipped of the lot measures 29 

 mm. in length, 20 mm. in width, and 10 mm. in maximum thickness. 

 The two medium-sized specimens measure 43 mm. and 49 mm. in 

 length, 21 and 23 mm. in width, and both are 10 mm. in maximum 

 thickness. The largest of the specimens measures 70 mm. in length, 

 24 mm. in width, and 11 mm. in maximum thickness. It will be noted 

 that there is comparatively little variation in either width or thick- 

 ness in the four specimens ; the only real variation comes in the overall 

 length. 



These tools are unique in that no matter in what direction one 

 decides to determine the cross section, it always turns out to be lenticu- 

 lar. For that reason, as the edges are approached the sides become 

 thinner until the actual edge is reached. Flaking scars on these tools 

 indicate that percussion was used to shape the tools which were later 

 retouched by pressure chipping, since some of the flakes are fairly 

 long, shallow, and well controlled (pi. 47, g^ ^, ^, ,7, and h) . 



Roberts (1936 a, pp. 24-25, fig. 4) described and illustrated a com- 

 parable artifact from the Lindenmeier site in northern Colorado and 

 attributes this to one of the scraper class, and, like the Virginia speci- 

 mens, it too has been made from a small core and not from a flake like 

 the majority of the other tools. The long slender chips that were re- 

 moved during its shaping show that the maker not only possessed 

 great chipping skill but understood the nature of the material as well. 

 Only this single specimen from the Lindenmeier site would predicate 

 that such objects are far from plentiful, not only in tlie Western sites 

 but in those found in the Eastern States as well. 



If the various projectile points were to be separated according to 

 form, they would possibly match, almost exactly, a number of the 

 better-known types from sites in the Southwest, Plains, as well as 

 some of the Old World forms. This does not imply that similar cul- 

 tural and time affinities are inferred but only indicates that similarities 

 do exist in the Eastern United States. 



In an earlier study, Miller (1949 b) pointed out a number of types 

 resembling Eden, Gypsum Cave, Manzano, and Elys Ford types whose 

 similarities in technique and form are so close that one would be hard 

 pushed to distinguish between those coming from southern Virginia 

 and those from tlie type sites. It is true that none of these forms are 

 overly plentiful, but their mere existence should indicate that they 

 do occur in sufficient numbers over a greater area than heretofore noted 



