﻿INTRODUCTION 
  

  

  The 
  preliminary 
  paper 
  on 
  our 
  aboriginal 
  articles 
  of 
  stone 
  com- 
  

   prised 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  simply 
  chipped, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  

   abundant 
  and 
  widespread 
  than 
  those 
  treated 
  of 
  in 
  this 
  bulletin. 
  The 
  

   latter, 
  however, 
  show 
  almost 
  incredible 
  patience 
  and 
  skill 
  in 
  their 
  

  

  * 
  

  

  higher 
  forms, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  taste 
  in 
  selecting 
  materials. 
  They 
  also 
  give 
  

   hints 
  of 
  superstitions 
  and 
  cerem.onies 
  not 
  yet 
  thoroughly 
  understood, 
  

   and 
  therefore 
  not 
  now 
  discussed. 
  As 
  before, 
  this 
  paper 
  has 
  been 
  

   prepared 
  and 
  illustrated 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  W. 
  M. 
  Beauchamp, 
  S. 
  T. 
  D., 
  

   the 
  figures 
  being 
  from 
  his 
  large 
  collection 
  of 
  original 
  drawings, 
  

   made 
  in 
  nearly 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  but 
  mostly 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  

   portion. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  southwestern 
  counties 
  might 
  add 
  

   a 
  few 
  forms, 
  as 
  thait 
  region 
  included 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  mound 
  build- 
  

   ers' 
  country, 
  and 
  was 
  a 
  border 
  land. 
  A 
  few 
  illustrations 
  might 
  

   have 
  been 
  added 
  from 
  other 
  writers, 
  but 
  neither 
  these 
  figures 
  nor 
  

   the 
  descriptions 
  were 
  deemed 
  accurate 
  enough 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  pur- 
  

   pose. 
  Those 
  given 
  have 
  been 
  carefully 
  prepared, 
  and 
  every 
  detail 
  

   has 
  been 
  represented 
  wherever 
  opportunity 
  was 
  afiforded. 
  

  

  