20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



inches long by one and one half wide. It seems scarcely hard 

 enough for much use, but the yellower ones are of a finer and harder 

 grain, although so light in weight. 



In Mr. A. E. Douglass' collection, out of 721 celts 85 are from 

 New York, and about half of the smaller forms termed chisels. Dr. 

 Abbott figures one New Jersey celt with a distinct groove, a fre- 

 quent feature in New York, where all forms are abundant, some be- 

 ing local and unique. 



GOUGES 



Stone gouges are mostly found in the Atlantic States and are 

 somewhat local there. They might be distinguished as the long 

 gouges, tapering and evenly grooved from end to end ; long gouges 

 grooved part way; and broad gouges, distinguished in a similar 

 manner. This would be but a broad classification. Long gouges 

 have been found in Pennsylvania, although rare there. Dr. Abbott 

 figured but one in New Jersey, where they are also rare. Two like 

 his Fig. 140 have been found at Oneida Lake. In Saratoga County 

 and vicinity, Mr. Wagman procured 29 gouges, the largest nine 

 and one half by two and one half inches, and none of them were 

 wider. He catalogued also adze gouges, probably meaning the 

 broad forms. 



Mr. Douglass has 85 gouges and adzes, of which 16 came from 

 New York. Those in Central New York are mostly from Seneca 

 River, Oneida, Onondaga, Skaneateles and Cross Lakes. They are 

 most common near lakes and streams, and this makes it probable 

 they were used in making canoes out of trees before bark was em- 

 ployed. They were unknown to the Iroquois. Out of 75 before us, 

 more than one third are the long gouges, grooved from end to end, 

 and tapering uniformly. Some are superb specimens. 



Fig. 36 is a gouge of a beautiful light bluish striped slate, of 

 unusual form and probably the finest known in this material. It 

 is flat above and moderately rounded beneath, having a groove ex- 

 tending nearly half the length. The thickness is quite uniform 

 throughout. It is seven and three eighths inches in length and 

 two and one eighth wide, and was found near the Oneida River. 

 It would hardly seem that it could have been employed in any com- 

 mon use. 



