652 Proceedings. 



Tlie axe must have been one of tlie most valuable and valued imple- 

 ments. It was useful in war, useful in peace. They were not very large, 

 varying in length from one to six inches, and with a cutting edge varying 

 from one to three inches. Serpentine and diorite are the principal materials 

 of which they were made, though flint and jade were sometimes used. Jade 

 is not found in the west of Europe, and hence it is supposed that axes made 

 of it must have come from the East, being passed on from tribe to tribe by 

 way of barter. The flint found in Switzerland was not suitable for axes, 

 but France had abundance for all, and it is generally supposed that the flint 

 used in Switzerland was obtained from Pressigny. Considerable doubt 

 exists as to the way in which these axes were made. The generally accepted 

 theory is, that they were made by blows of a hammer on the stone that had 

 been carefully selected, and that when by skilfully repeated blows the 

 required size had been attained the ridges between the grooves formed by 

 the fracture were ground down by means of sandstone. The small ones, 

 such as we have on the table, were inserted along with bitumen in a socket 

 of stag-horn, which in turn fitted a hole in a handle of hard wood. The 

 larger ones were fastened in various ways to handles. Adzes were formed 

 in a similar manner, and attached to an angular piece of wood, as the 

 Maoris used to do a few years ago. Obviously there would be a considerable 

 number of chips, the best of which were selected for arrow-heads and knives, 

 while those that could not be so used, and which we call flakes, were useful 

 for a variety of purposes. They used them as scrapers — as spokeshaves 

 amongst other things. I think the Lake Dwellers must have found them as 

 useful as the Maoris do their pipi and other shells. 



Bone. — In the present collection there are several implements made of 

 bone. It will be seen that the particular bone selected is that of the stag, 

 an animal which must have been found in considerable numbers, if we may 

 judge from the great variety of articles made therefrom. The chisels which 

 lie on the table are sharp at both ends. I very much fear they could not 

 be of great service, for it is evident that the sharper the cutting edge is, just 

 so much the less strong will it be. Authorities do not make their use quite 

 clear. The needles would be extremely valuable for making holes in the 

 sldns with which they clothed themselves in the early part of the period. 

 In the absence of thread at the same time, they appear to have found a 

 fitting substitute in narrow strips of skin. 



Weight for Weaving. — The stone weight, which was found at Nidau, is 

 said to have been used for weaving. It is, I think more likely to have 

 been used for sinking the nets. 



The round piece of burned clay with the hole in it is generally under- 

 stood to have been used as a spindle whorl. This implement brings us to 

 the second half of the period, by which time it is evident that the people 



