136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



the hand, but must, be rested against some solid substance, and flaked 

 by means of an instrument, the handle of which fitted the palm like 

 that of an umbi'ella, enabling the operator to exert a pressure against 

 the substance to be chipped nearly equal to the weight of the body." 

 One result of Mr. Cushing's experiments in arrow-making was to 

 satisfy him that the greatest difficulty was to make long narrow 

 surface-flakes. Hence, contrary to all preconceived ideas, it is easier 

 to form the much-prized delicately finished small arrow-heads, with 

 barbs and stem, than larger and seemingly ruder implements which 

 involve much surface-flaking. 



It is interesting to learn of the recovery of what was supposed to 

 be the lost art of the ancient arrow-makers by a series of tentative 

 experiments independently pursued by different observers ; and to 

 find the newly-discovered process confirmed by the methods still in 

 use by widely-scattered aboriginal tribes. So far the results of Mr.. 

 Cushing's experiments agree with those of other observers ; but im 

 the coui'se of his operations he also noted this fact that the grooves 

 produced by the flaking of the flint, or obsidian, all turned in one 

 direction. This proved to be due to the constant use of his right 

 hand. The first procedure is to strike off a suitable flake from the 

 block of flint. This is then trimmed roughly with a hammer-stone 

 into a leaf-shape, which is reduced in thickness by scaling off surface 

 flakes with repeated blows upon the edge. Then comes the delicate- 

 process of finishing, pointing, and notching the arrow or lance-head 

 with the bone flaker. Surface-flaking, or the thinning of the flint 

 blade by the detachment of flakes running from the edge to the 

 centre, is the most difficult part of the process. The method 

 employed to effect this, by direct blows with a hammer stone, by 

 pressure with a wood or bone flaker, or by combining the two, and 

 using the bone or stone flaker as a chisel, can always be detected. 

 Eaqh method leaves its traces on the finished implement ; and in th& 

 extreme cases of the rudely chipped flint implements of the drift, 

 and the highly finished flint daggers and axes of the Danish mosses 

 and shell-heaps, the contrast is very striking. Mr. Gushing alsa 

 notes that in flaking a large arrow or spear-head in the hand it i& 

 necessary to hold it alternately by the point and by the base. As 

 the grasp by the base is much firmer the pressure is greater ; and 

 hence the flakes scale off further toward or over the centre. As 

 this unavoidably happens on opposite edges, a twisted and at timea 



