ABORIGINAL CHIPPED STONE IMPLEMENTS OF NEW YORK 1 7 



ledge of one purpose of caches. From one pebble he had made 

 ' seven finished knife and arrow blades in exactly 38 minutes ; ' and, 

 ' from obsidian or glass a very small and delicate arrow-point — the 

 most easily made, by the way — in less than two minutes.' 



ABBOTT-HEADS 



There are local varieties in arrows, as in other implements, and on 

 some sites one type may prevail to the exclusion of almost all others, 

 but the distribution of all leading types is very general. There are 

 few forms of the smaller chipped implements, from the Atlantic to 

 the Rocky mountains, which may not be matched in form in New 

 York, whether it be arrow, spear, drill, scraper, or knife, the early 

 visitors bringing them from every part. In most cases the finer 

 ones come from a distance, while for the smaller, more common and 

 less valuable, the hornstone of the Helderberg group often sufficed. 



Some small forms have been classed as boys' arrows, but there is 

 little reason for this, for they are much too common, and were ser- 

 viceable in hunting. Many are found in New York less than half 

 an inch in length, and they occur in quantities not over an inch long. 

 Primitive children's arrows were used with a blow-gun. 



Arrow making was a necessity to every hunter, but all were not 

 equally skilful, and some would acquire a high reputation, finding 

 their work in demand. A division of labor was inevitable, even in 

 savage life, and Roger Williams described this in 1643 '• ' They have 

 some who follow onely making of bowes, some arrows, some dishes, 

 (and the women make all the earthen vessels) some follow fishing, 

 some hunting; most on the seaside make money, and store up shells 

 in summer, whereof they make their money.' Some of the finest 

 stone work here, also, was that of an early day, the Iroquois having 

 no fondness for working in stone, and restricting themselves mostly 

 to axes, small arrows and knives. The finest material, also, is not of 

 recent date, but of that period when men were here as hunters and 

 fishers, rather than as residents. This is true of ornamental stone 

 work as well, except in the very recent introduction of red pipestone, 

 and the fine stone pipes of the later Iroquois, made with metallic 

 tools. The stone masks also belong to the historic period. 



