POLISHED STONE ARTICLES USED BY THE NEW YORK ABORIGINES 65 



and those of the Eskimo, but these slate knives were apparently used 

 here long before the Iroquois entered New York. The half cir- 

 cular slate knives of Canada, New York and the Eastern States, 

 also raise the question of early visits of the Eskimo, and the prob- 

 ability of these is strengthened by the recent finding of articles made 

 of walrus tusks, south of Lake Ontario. They occur also in Can- 

 ada, and near the St. Lawrence. Without discussing this question 

 at length, it may suffice to say that these two forms of knives are in 

 present use among the Eskimo, and that that people lived on the 

 north shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence 300 years ago, whence, 

 at a still earlier day, it would have been easy for them to 

 make hunting excursions into New York by water. Certain it is 

 that south of New York one of these articles has never been found, 

 and the other but rarely. 



In some parts of Canada the knives now to be considered are 

 about as common as in New York, being most abundant on both 

 sides of Lake Ontario. They have not been reported east of Lake 

 Champlain, except in its immediate vicinity, with the exception of 

 one in Maine, nor do they reach more than half way 

 southward to the Pennsylvania line. In fact here they are rarely 

 found far away from the larger lakes and streams tributary to the 

 St. Lawrence. 1 



Fig. 161 is a dark grey slate knife of this kind, and one of a fre- 

 quent form, being shouldered but having no barbs. There are 

 slight notches on either side of the tang. It is two and three 

 eighths inches long, and not quite one and one fourth wide. Fig. 

 164 is another of grey slate, two and one fourth long by one and one 

 fourth inches wide. This is broadly shouldered, and approaches the 

 barbed form. The base is of unusual dimensions, being half the 

 length. Both of these are from the Seneca River. 



Fig. 166 is very long, and with nearly parallel sides. The base is 

 broken, but it is still five and five eighths inches long by one and one 

 fourth wide. It has barbs and distinct notches, and is reported 

 from Chenango County, an unusual location. Fig. 167 is of grey 

 slate, with long barbs and very deep notches, which are like sharp 

 teeth. It is three and three fourths inches long and one and three 



