REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I912 5 1 



upper half of the Empire State, many tools of identical character 

 are found in the soil, associated with other objects such as flint 

 arrow points, chipped quartzite blades, and the peculiar form of 

 chipped flint scraper in archeology known as the Eskimo scraper, 

 from its identity with like tools in use by the Eskimo of the 

 north at the present time. Dr William M. Beauchamp, whom 

 we esteem the best authority in archeological matters relating 

 to our State, has furnished an excellent study of these remains ; 

 aiid he seems unhesitating in his belief that at some period quite 

 remote, the regions about and to the northward of us were the 

 established homes of the tribes now inhabiting the far north, 

 known as the Eskimos. The truth would appear to be, that this 

 was their home at a remote period, when the climate retained 

 considerably more of arctic severity than is known at present; 

 and that, following the receding cold upon the gradual encroach- 

 ment of w^armer conditions, and the migration of the cold-loving 

 animals upon which they subsisted, they tended gradually north- 

 ward till they at length found in the utmost north the favorite 

 conditions of their well-being. Their chief habitat in the town 

 of Queensbury was about Glen lake. There, at the northern end, 

 or outlet, was a large, permanently established town covering 

 many acres, from which ran lines of habitation in various direc- 

 tions : first northward under the base of French mountain for a 

 distance, then striking off to East Lake George, where, as we 

 might expect, there was a large village ; second, a shorter line, 

 comprising three small sites, with its terminus at Lake Sunny- 

 side. Here, on the abrupt hill on the west shore of the lake was 

 one of their lake dwellings. In the collection from Queensbury 

 just donated by Dr Albert Vander Veer, is a card of several 

 specimens of the '' polished slate knife," among which is one 

 obtained from the Washburn farm at French mountain, about a 

 mile from Glen lake. It is made from Kingsbury banded red 

 and gray slate, the red predominating, is of lance-head form, 

 seven inches in length, by about one inch in mean breadth, has 

 a central longitudinal ridge on each surface, is acutely pointed, 

 with sharp edges. The stem is notched and there are well-de- 

 fmed barbs. With one exception this is the finest object of its 

 kind among the one hundred and odd specimens so far reported. 

 Saratoga lake has furnished a few of these knives, and two speci- 

 mens have been discovered at Marcy, in Oneida county. They are 



