﻿polished 
  stone 
  articles 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  new 
  york 
  aborigines 
  79 
  

  

  gorg£:ts 
  

  

  Gorgets 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  Europe, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  in 
  

   America, 
  where 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  much 
  speculation 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  use. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  direct 
  evidence 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  twine 
  twisters, 
  as 
  School- 
  

   craft 
  thought. 
  The 
  Iroquois 
  required 
  no 
  artificial 
  means 
  in 
  making 
  

   thread, 
  and 
  knew 
  nothing 
  of 
  these 
  implements. 
  Perhaps 
  as 
  little 
  

   can 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  their 
  use 
  as 
  guards 
  against 
  the 
  recoil 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  

   string, 
  for 
  which 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  certainly 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  clumsy 
  

   contrivance. 
  Dr. 
  Abbott's 
  conclusion 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  better, 
  in 
  sup- 
  

   posing 
  they 
  were 
  ornaments 
  variously 
  used. 
  They 
  are 
  usually 
  sym- 
  

   metrical, 
  and 
  drilled 
  from 
  both 
  sides, 
  each 
  perforation 
  terminating 
  

   in 
  a 
  smaller 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  middle. 
  Occasionally 
  they 
  are 
  left 
  unfin- 
  

   ♦ 
  ished, 
  and 
  often 
  seem 
  merely 
  ornaments. 
  In 
  that 
  case 
  it 
  is 
  prob- 
  

   able 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  suspended 
  as 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  wearer's 
  

   dress 
  by 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  holes, 
  like 
  some 
  shell 
  gorgets; 
  or 
  the 
  super- 
  

   fluous 
  holes 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  ior 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  other 
  light 
  

   ornaments 
  to 
  them. 
  However 
  this 
  was, 
  they 
  certainly 
  had 
  no 
  rough 
  

   usage, 
  but 
  may 
  well 
  have 
  been 
  worn 
  like 
  the 
  frontal 
  crown 
  and 
  

   the 
  breastplate 
  of 
  the 
  Hebrew 
  high 
  priest. 
  

  

  If 
  they 
  were 
  ornaments, 
  many 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  more 
  practical 
  

   use. 
  A 
  few 
  have 
  a 
  chisel 
  or 
  a 
  gouge-like 
  edge. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  very 
  

   wide 
  distribution, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  are 
  as 
  abundant 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  as 
  

   anywhere, 
  presenting 
  many 
  beautiful, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  rare 
  forms. 
  

   This 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  known, 
  because 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  publication. 
  Mr. 
  

   Douglass 
  has 
  360 
  in 
  his 
  collection, 
  and 
  but 
  20 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  from 
  

   New 
  York, 
  their 
  supposed 
  abundance 
  or 
  rarity 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  

   collector's 
  field 
  or 
  tastes. 
  They 
  extend 
  across 
  the 
  continent. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Abbott 
  observes 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  near 
  the 
  breast 
  in 
  New 
  

   Jersey 
  graves, 
  and 
  this 
  holds 
  good 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  where, 
  however, 
  

   but 
  few 
  occur 
  in 
  tombs. 
  He 
  found 
  most 
  New 
  Jersey 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   one 
  form. 
  In 
  New 
  York 
  there 
  seem 
  no 
  bounds 
  to 
  the 
  varieties. 
  

   One 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  grave 
  at 
  Deming's 
  Point 
  in 
  Dutchess 
  County, 
  

   which 
  was 
  of 
  dark 
  striped 
  slate. 
  It 
  had 
  one 
  hole 
  and 
  41 
  tally 
  marks. 
  

   The 
  dimensions 
  were 
  four 
  and 
  one 
  half 
  by 
  two 
  and 
  one 
  fourth 
  

   inches. 
  Another, 
  with 
  but 
  one 
  hole, 
  was 
  taken 
  fromra 
  burial 
  mound 
  

  

  