Skinner: Indian Camp or Village Sites 97 



seum of Natural History, for the purpose of locating and investi- 

 gating such sites as appeared promising. 



The sites, which are practically contiguous, apparently represent 

 ancient hunting villages or encampments of the Raritan Indians, 

 dating from the pre-Columbian well into the historic period. 



Shells are scarce, probably on account of the the distance of the 

 oyster beds from this place and the attendant difficulties of trans- 

 portation. Here and there a few small and shallow shell pits may 

 be found, averaging a foot and a half broad by six inches or a foot 

 in depth. These pits contain occasional sherds, and a compara- 

 tively large number of deer bones. 



One fireplace, of quite large size, contained shells, blackened 

 earth, and several fragments of Dutch ( ?) glazed pottery. At a 

 depth of about ten inches a layer of clay and charred shells oc- 

 curred which apparently formed the bottom of the fireplace. 

 Split and cracked deer bones were found, and the inference is 

 that this spot was an Indian fireplace of the historic period. 



The most common type of fireplace noted was represented by 

 large patches of split and fire-cracked pebbles, usually of a small 

 size. These " patches " were irregular in shape, often containing 

 several hundred pebbles, all of which showed the action of fire. 

 Occasionally potsherds occurred with these, but this was the ex- 

 ception. This may be accounted for by the fact that most of these 

 fire-places were entirely on the surface, and objects left there could 

 easily have been picked up or weathered away in the years be- 

 tween the departure of the Indians and the present. Flint, quartz, 

 and argillite chips were scattered in great abundance all over the 

 surface everywhere, and a large number of projectile points, 

 blades, etc., were found, all of which supports the hypothesis that 

 these sites were ancient hunting villages. 



A systematic search did not reveal any localities where exca- 

 vation would appear to be profitable. The very peculiar, small, 

 high, and round sand dunes have locally the reputation of being 

 mounds, but they are naturally formed, the wind blown sand col- 

 lecting about the bushes or the Hudsonia plants, and forming a 



