A462 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
worth the whole of this, and they freely gave it, merely to recall the 
memory of the chief who was gone.’—Hale, p. 167 
Food and burial 
Shellfish formed a large part of the food of the aborigines on the 
seacoast. They ate many on the spot, and dried others for winter 
consumption. In this way were formed the numerous shell beds 
near the shore, usually made up of hard clam and oyster shells, but 
sometimes of the scallop. On Iroquois sites in the interior are 
often scattered those of the fresh-water clam. There are rare in- 
stances there of beds of these of an earlier date. Near the sea the 
dead were sometimes buried in shell heaps, and in a few cases dogs 
were carefully interred. For burial purposes the shells were neatly 
arranged. Careful observers now give a much lower antiquity to 
these shell heaps than was formerly claimed, and some are evidently 
of very recent date. As food our water mollusks have probably 
been long in use here. As ornaments their shells may have been 
sparingly used in New York four centuries ago. ‘There is little 
proof of so long a use as this, but it may well be supposed that 
much has perished. In two or three instances a higher antiquity 
may be allowed, for wandering hunters may have brought some 
here. It is not a question of the presence of man in New York, but 
simply of his use of one common material. 
After these pages were in type the writer examined a fine recent 
belt, 47 inches long and six broad, with 18 rows of beads, mostly 
white. It has three triple diagonal bands of black beads, and letters 
and figures in black at one end. If this was considered the bottom 
there would be 1800, and M C beneath. It probably should be 
reversed and would then be W C 1800. Captain William Claus had 
then been recently appointed deputy general superintendent of 
Indian affairs in Canada, and it seems a belt used by him. It resem- 
bles the Simcoe belt in material and construction, and has buckskin 
thongs. In the terminal fringes are a few blue and white beads, as 
large as marbles. This is a novel feature. 
‘ 
