32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



teemed with fish and the forests were filled with pigeons, partridges 

 and squirrels. The red man had only to use his arrows and snares 

 skilfully to supply all his needs for ft)od. From the barks of trees, 

 as the elm and basswood, ropes and cords could be made ; the bark 

 of the elm supplied material for houses, canoes and numerous 

 utensils for the household. There were many sweet herbs like the 

 sassafrass, and valuable medical plants like boneset and golden seal. 

 Beside the native plants certain vegetables w^ere cultivated, such as 

 maize, varieties of beans, squashes and tobacco. The summer time 

 supplied many kinds of berries and small fruits; the autumn the 

 cultivated plants and many kinds of nuts and seeds. By carefully 

 preserving and drying both animal and vegetable foods, therefore, 

 it was possible for human beings to subsist in the forests with a 

 large degree of comfort, and at the same time to find game for 

 animal food in case stored supplies fell short. 



This area, as we have suggested, teemed with animal life. Pass- 

 enger pigeons moved in mighty flocks that, according to early settlers, 

 " flew like clouds and darkened the sun, and when they alighted 

 broke down the branches of trees beneath their weight." The ruft"ed 

 grouse, wild turkeys, a score of species of wild ducks and geese 

 bred here or had their range over this territory. There were large 

 numbers of bears, wolves, beaver, panthers and other large forest 

 animals and many other varieties of four-footed creatures that were 

 valuable for their furs. The lakes were filled with fishes and eels ; 

 in the salt water country clams and oysters were abundant. But the 

 most valuable of all game, to the Indians, were the herds of elk, 

 deer, moose and bison that lived and roamed in the open lands and 

 in the timbered areas. These were the big game. To the big game 

 the Indians, and later the early white settler, owed much. They 

 supplied the bulk of the meat supply and their skins when tanned 

 served for leather and clothing. Very few textile garments could 

 be better suited for the forest dweller, either for warmth or 

 durability, than those of elk or buckskin. Skin robes, as those of 

 the bison, furnished warm bedding. 



The big game animals bestowed upon man another important g'ft, 

 and one seldom considered. In their seasonal migrations they tracked 

 into the earth deeply worn paths. These trails up the Ohio, along 

 the Allegheny and up the Genesee or cross country at well-chosen 

 spots became the trails of the red men also, and we may easily believe 

 that the Indians followed them in reaching the territories that they 

 came to occupy. The reason is easy to find. The animals first 



