134 ISLAND CULTITRE AEEA OF AMEBICA [eth. ann. 34 



also, is found only in celts. I have some, large and small, made of 

 the volcanic stone used ordinarily for axes. These are very well 

 polished, but not glazed. This handsome glazing gives an exalted 

 idea of the industry of these savages, for it could not be done better 

 in our days. 



"The Caribs made use of the living forces of nature to fix the 

 celts on the wood. But to introduce a celt into a young tree and 

 let the tree grow till the resistance was sufficient, required many 

 years. I believe, therefore, that they rarely had recourse to this 

 process. They evidently followed the same method employed by 

 the Canaques and other savages of the present century ignorant of 

 the use of metals, whose celts do not differ from those found in our 

 islands. This method consisted in fixing the stone by the aid of 

 very fine cords in a socket j^repared in the wooden handle. 



" I must not forget to mention the shell celts. These are not 

 made of living shell, which would not have been hard enough for 

 the purpose, but of fossil shell. They are very rare. They were 

 extracted from the outer edge of the Stromhus gigns, veiy common 

 in the Caribbean Sea. 



" It is to be supposed that the glazed celts were rather warlike 

 weapons than instruments of labor, for they offer more resistance in 

 proportion to their size; and we know besides that the savages used 

 in war whatever had most value in their eyes. The very large- 

 sized celts must have served as wedges in splitting trunks of trees. 



'■'•Casse-tetes. — The casse-tete type is furnished by a stone, either 

 round or with bilateral facets, in the center of which is a more or less 

 deep groove for the wooden handle. One can easily conceive the 

 power of such a weapon wielded by a muscular arm in hand-to-hand 

 combat. 



" Some are more perfect in form than others. Everyone was free 

 to fasliion so important a weapon as best suited him. 



" But what astonishes the observer is the small size of one of these 

 relics. Evidently it could have been only an amulet, worn with 

 the idea of preserving its owner from the blows of the weapon it 

 represented. 



" Other casse-tetes were used without handles. Only two types 

 figure in my collection. This weapon had not the value of the 

 preceding. 



" Pestles, grinders. — Pestles and grinders are of various forms 

 and sizes. My collection includes a certain number of them. I 

 possess a single specimen, which was used with both hands. 



'■^Mortars. — Mortars are not very numerous. This is explained by 

 the fact that any hard stone which was flat and smooth would take 

 their place. The complete mortar could have been only au article 

 of luxury belonging to a cacique. 



