:3© KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
builders ever having reached so far east. A very few copper implements have 
been found, but they had evidently been transported from the Lake Superior 
region, and are only masses of native copper that have been beaten into desired 
shapes. 
Our country is well watered. Springs of good water are to be found in 
every section. Near these springs, on any piece of level upland that would be 
rapidly drained after a rain, are to be found the camping grounds of the ancient 
inhabitants. They are easily traced when plowed up, by the chips and spalls of white , 
quartz left in making their arrow-heads, this being the most common material 
used here. We also find larger camping grounds on some slight elevations near 
what in early ages have been good fishing places on our streams. 
In the Susquehanna River near where it crosses the line between Pennsyl- 
vania and Maryland is an island containing about sixty acres. The river is here 
broad and shallow. In early times the fish in the spring of the year must here 
have been innumerable, and have been easily captured, affording food for vast 
numbers The island seems to have been common grounds where .numerous 
tribes could meet in peace. Food being plenty, there would be less incitement 
to war. 
The want of food I believe has ever been the principal cause of wars between 
savage tribes. An overgrown tribe would use up its supply of game and then 
be forced to trespass upon the preserves of their neighbors, when this would, of 
course, bring on a contest which would end in the decimation of one or both 
tribes. The game would again have a chance to recuperate, and for a time 
peace would reign. 
The island spoken of, when I first saw it, wasliterally covered with relics, and, 
I might safely say, that cart-loads of arrow-heads, stone axes, pestles, and mortars, 
have been carried away from this place, showing that it must have been the 
resort of vast numbers at a time, or had been a noted place through many ages. 
I have been unable to trace out any burial place on or near the island. A few 
miles below this place are to be found many sculptured or figured rocks in the bed 
of the river. The rocks are of serpentine, and the figures are roughly made. 
These are the only attempts at this kind of work that I know of in this section. 
All burial places that I have seen opened here, have contained more or less 
■of modern European relics, such as beads and iron tomahawks. 
Yours, etc , A. Sharpless. 
LETTER FROM PLEASANT HILL, MO. 
Pleasant Hill, Mo., October 8. 1883. 
The Review for October promptly came to hand. It is an interesting num- 
ber. Several very excellent articles. I was particularly interested in that relat- 
ing to the manner the aucient Egyptians quarried and worked rock. Strange 
Rawlinson, in his otherwise interesting book, says nothing of this. If they had 
