64 STONK IMPLEMENTS [kth. ax.n.15 



by eiiteriii};' tlic liillsidc on tlic j^neissir Hoor as well as liy ])ittiiifj tlie 

 bowldcry surface at various jjoints. The latter iiietliod was extensively 

 followed at the western end of the outstaTidiuf; ridge, which is nearly 

 flat for a width of 75 feet or more. This relation of the bowlder depos- 

 its to the surface of the "ground had an iiiii)ortant bearinj;' (jn the pres- 

 ervation of the evidences of ancient work. On the sloping surfaces 

 the pits are entirely obliterated by the descent of refuse from above, 

 but on the iip])er surface they are still distinctly \ isiblc. 



The workcdo\er surface is everywhere irregular, but the de])ressioiiS 

 are in no case more than a few inches in (l(|itli. It is luohaldc tiiat as 

 a rule they were not deep when deserted liy the ancient workmen, as 

 one pit would be tilled by refuse from another as the work went ou. 

 Such pits as were left open on the iipi)er surface of the ridge would at 

 first fill rai)idly Ijy falling in from the sides, but the rate of filling would 

 decrease with the decrease of depth, and when a degree of shallowness 

 like that observed at present had been reached, the compacted cobbles 

 would have something of the stability of au artificial pavement; and 

 where the position did not admit the accumulation of vegetal mold, 

 centuries might pass without percejjtible change. On steep sites, as in 

 some parts of Piny branch, the friable overhanging deposits must have 

 descended rapidly into the old quarries, obliterating all traces of the 

 pits in a very short time. 



Distribution of Quarry Pits 



On the map the crest of the i)romontory resembles the human foot in 

 profile. The ancient (piarries were located mainly on the heel, where 

 they covered au acre or more. A little work was done along the sole 

 of the foot, and several pits 2 or 3 feet deep had been dug at other 

 ])oints. 



As the ancient work was prosecuted along the crest and margins of 

 this promontory, the shop and quarry refuse is largely distributed over 

 the slopes and has descended to the bed of the creek on the south and 

 into the ravines and depressions on the other sides. The most striking 

 feature of the promontory is its mantle of broken bowlders, admirably 

 shown in plate xxyi. The whitish bowlders appear in strong con- 

 trast with the somber hues of the forest and its carijet of brown leaves 

 and dark mold. 



TRE^•cHI^■G 



The western projection of the quarry spur bore the most decided 

 traces of ancient operations, and was therefore chosen as the best 

 place to begin the work of trenching. Ueginuiug near the extreme 

 southwest end of the crest, near the upper surface of the gneiss rocks 

 and at the base of the capping of bowlders, a trench 3 feet wide was 

 carried horizontally into the gently sloping hillside. Beyond the first 

 10 feet the digging was not continuous, but consisted of a line of short 

 trenches with intervals of a few feet. For about 4(1 feet but little of 



