26 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
the sites represented. In nearly every part of New York, men have 
readily responded to requests for new material, or corrections of the 
old. Much time and expense have thus been saved by correspond- 
ence with persons familiar with local fields, whose knowledge must 
have been sought in any case. The judgment of some of these is 
that the work of investigation has only begun in the fields in which 
they work, and in the state at large this is more clearly the case. 
The accompanying map and the following notes must be studied 
with this understanding. It is a preliminary survey, full in some 
parts, scanty in others, but preserving what is known and making 
fuller and clearer knowledge possible in days to come. 
It might have been expected that in a treatise on the early fomes 
of the aborigines of New York, more would have been said on the 
details of those homes. ‘There is no lack of material; in fact there 
is so much that it would have its best place in a paper specially de- 
voted to aboriginal life. How forts and houses were built, how 
water was provided, how fields were cleared and tilled, how lands 
were divided and owned, may have a definite relation to the dis- 
tribution of our early tribes, but all these things would seriously 
encroach on the small space we can now give to the mere location 
of forts, cemeteries, camps and towns. 
As a rule there is little difficulty in distinguishing Iroquois habita- 
tions. The earlier ones invariably have brown pottery, and usually 
implements of bone and horn, with small triangular arrowheads. 
The Algonquin settlements are restricted in range, and will be found 
in their proper territory alone, which they entered almost simultane- 
ously with the Iroquois. Both were very recent comers. There will 
be no attempt now to distinguish the earlier visitors by sites or 
relics. The latter are generally scattered, the former were occupied 
by several in turn. It is sufficient to say that the camp sites have 
revealed many unsuspected facts concerning early life here. 
Enough is known to show the character and tastes of these early 
tourists, and often to indicate the places whence they came. With 
greater care in investigation the sequence of their visits might ap- 
pear. 
