136 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



amples. Such disks, perforated or not, but usually smaller, occur 

 sparingly on many early Iroquois sites. They scarcely survived the 

 coming of the white man. j 



Fig. 223 shows one of several of the more common form, found 

 at Schenck's Gulf, east of Palatine Bridge. The perforated forms, 

 which are more frequent in Canada than here, were called terra 

 cotta beads by Sir J. W. Dawson. He was probably in error, judg- 

 ing from his figure, in saying that ' a cheaper kind of bead was 

 made of clay, molded into ornamental discs and baked.' Molded 

 clay beads, however, do exist, though his example is of a dififerent 

 kind. The large perforated disk, before figured, was probably used 

 like the shell and stone gorget, and secured by a knotted cord 

 drawn through the hole. 



Fig. 224 is a neatly cut disk, made from a potsherd, and comes 

 from the Onondaga fort of 1600, west of Cazenovia. Similar speci- 

 mens are not rare there. This one has the edges smoothly cut, 

 but they are usually less neatly worked. 



Fig. 225 is from the same site, and is one of the best examples 

 yet found, being smooth and symmetrical, and apparently the 

 original design.- The edges are neatly rounded, and it is thicker 

 than the usual form. It might have been used in some game, but 

 we know of none at that day requiring an article of this kind, though 

 some purpose it would seem to have had. 



Fig. 226 is a peculiar terra cotta mask, found at Cold Spring, 

 Putnam county. It is of so marked a character as to have called 

 forth shrewd surmises as to its origin, and presents such a finished 

 appearance in full view as to lead some to think it complete in itself. 

 The owner, however, Mr James Nelson, of Cold Spring, says ' The 

 back shows that it has been attached to something.' It may there- 

 fore be placed with those fragmentary figures from pipes so often 

 found. A large number of fine articles of this nature might be 

 figured, both early and recent. 



Fig. 227 is an odd relic from the mouth of Canada creek, near 

 Rome. It seems intended for a rude representation of the human 

 face, with circles for the eyes and mouth, and a long groove for the 

 nose. 



