﻿POLISHED 
  STONE 
  ARTICLES 
  USED 
  BY 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  ABORIGINES 
  4 
  1 
  

  

  moderate 
  distribution 
  here, 
  but 
  probably 
  Brewerton, 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   Oneida 
  Lake, 
  has 
  furnished 
  more 
  than 
  all 
  the 
  State 
  beside. 
  Even 
  

   there 
  they 
  mostly 
  occur 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  Hmited 
  area. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  

   rare 
  about 
  Onondaga 
  Lake, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  two 
  localities 
  

   of 
  Central 
  New 
  York. 
  Local 
  specimens 
  differ 
  much 
  from 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  surmised 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  a 
  supersti- 
  

   tious 
  use, 
  but 
  here 
  they 
  seem 
  confined 
  to 
  good 
  fishing 
  places, 
  and 
  

   may 
  well 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  sinkers, 
  although 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  seem 
  hardly 
  

   fitted 
  for 
  this 
  use. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  plummets 
  in 
  the 
  South, 
  having 
  the 
  usual 
  groove 
  

   but 
  also 
  often 
  perforated. 
  They 
  occur 
  in 
  New 
  England, 
  Ohio, 
  and 
  

   California. 
  Out 
  of 
  270 
  in 
  his 
  collection, 
  Mr. 
  Douglass 
  had 
  but 
  29 
  

   from 
  New 
  York. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  know 
  from 
  what 
  points 
  

   these 
  came. 
  None 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  from 
  New 
  Jersey. 
  Dr. 
  

   Abbott 
  says 
  that 
  one 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  mortar 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  and 
  

   Schoolcraft 
  not 
  only 
  speaks 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  but 
  says 
  

   that 
  the 
  Pennacook 
  Indians 
  used 
  them 
  as 
  sinkers. 
  The 
  latter 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  for 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  worth. 
  The 
  Eskimo 
  have 
  similar 
  

   sinkers, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  perforated. 
  Among 
  the 
  California 
  Indians 
  it 
  

   is 
  said 
  they 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  rain 
  charms, 
  and 
  rude 
  ones 
  are 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  Florida 
  shell 
  mounds. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  3 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  and 
  slender, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  rather 
  flat 
  slate 
  plummet 
  

   or 
  pendant, 
  slightly 
  resembling 
  the 
  older 
  ones. 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  an 
  

   ornament 
  than 
  anything 
  else, 
  and 
  comes 
  from 
  a 
  recent 
  site 
  in 
  Pom- 
  

   pey. 
  It 
  is 
  placed 
  here 
  because 
  of 
  a 
  likeness 
  which 
  is 
  more 
  apparent 
  

   than 
  real. 
  The 
  length 
  is 
  two 
  inches. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  90 
  is 
  a 
  slender 
  curved 
  one, 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  form, 
  but 
  grooved 
  

   in 
  a 
  frequent 
  way. 
  Near 
  each 
  end 
  is 
  an 
  encircling 
  groove 
  to 
  which 
  

   a 
  cord 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  attached. 
  Across 
  each 
  rounded 
  end 
  is 
  a 
  

   connecting 
  groove, 
  often 
  seen 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  plummets. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  dark 
  

   sandstone 
  and 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  Elbridge. 
  The 
  length 
  is 
  four 
  and 
  one 
  

   half, 
  and 
  the 
  thickness 
  one 
  and 
  one 
  eighth 
  inches. 
  A 
  similar 
  curved 
  

   one 
  of 
  brown 
  sandstone, 
  from 
  the 
  Seneca 
  River, 
  is 
  much 
  flatter, 
  and 
  

   has 
  tally 
  notches 
  on 
  each 
  side. 
  This 
  is 
  three 
  and 
  seven 
  eighths 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  and 
  one 
  and 
  five 
  eighths 
  broad 
  the 
  widest 
  way. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  91 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  plummet 
  of 
  fine 
  poHshed 
  grey 
  sandstone, 
  from 
  

   Onondaga 
  Lake, 
  beautifully 
  worked 
  and 
  of 
  fine 
  form. 
  The 
  groove 
  

  

  