SCHUMACHER ON STONE WEAPONS. 549 



length and 2^ in width.* Into the groove of the heated utensil, the 

 crooked part of the shaft is pressed, and by heating or steaming the 

 wood becomes very flexible, and is easily bent and straightened, which 

 position it will retain when cooled off. It is the same principle now 

 employed in the manufacture of lurniture, wagon-wheels, etc., of bent 

 wood, brought into almost any shape by the process of steaming. 



*A beautiful specimen of this size with three grooves was received, among other im- 

 plements, from Dr. Hays in San Luis Obispo, and is now in the National Museum. 



