﻿S6 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  uniformity 
  of 
  that 
  size, 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  narrower 
  and 
  

   shallower 
  grooves. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  period, 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  

   Onondaga 
  County 
  and 
  vicinity 
  for 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  form- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  League, 
  but 
  probably 
  less. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  have 
  simple 
  methods 
  of 
  arrow 
  

   making, 
  and 
  whether 
  their 
  fathers 
  made 
  these 
  grooves 
  with 
  so 
  much 
  

   labor, 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  question 
  still. 
  The 
  strong 
  point 
  

   is 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  apparent 
  use 
  for 
  them. 
  

  

  Grooves 
  of 
  another 
  kind 
  are 
  not 
  rare, 
  and 
  among 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  

   sharper 
  cuts 
  made 
  by 
  sharpening 
  tools 
  on 
  boulders. 
  A 
  large 
  stone 
  

   was 
  often 
  very 
  convenient 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  and 
  some 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  

   seen 
  on 
  old 
  village 
  sites. 
  As 
  the 
  Indians 
  learned 
  to 
  melt 
  and 
  cast 
  

   metals, 
  they 
  sometimes 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  stone 
  for 
  a 
  matrix, 
  and 
  

   such 
  stones 
  are 
  occasionally 
  found. 
  So 
  are 
  whetstones, 
  easily 
  

   recognizable 
  by 
  their 
  marks 
  of 
  use. 
  They 
  are 
  commonly 
  slender 
  

   and 
  small. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  foregoing 
  was 
  written, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  G. 
  Richmond 
  described 
  a 
  

   large 
  grooved 
  boulder, 
  weighing 
  1970 
  pounds. 
  Of 
  this 
  he 
  says, 
  

   * 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  grooves 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  pretty 
  well 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  slope. 
  

   Three 
  more 
  toward 
  the 
  center, 
  and 
  a 
  seventh 
  one 
  started 
  in 
  the 
  

   center.' 
  He 
  thinks 
  they 
  were 
  certainly 
  used 
  in 
  working 
  arrow 
  

   shafts, 
  and 
  while 
  there 
  are 
  certain 
  difficulties 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  those 
  

   found 
  in 
  place, 
  he 
  makes 
  suggestions 
  worthy 
  of 
  consideration. 
  

   These 
  are 
  quoted 
  here, 
  ' 
  My 
  theory 
  is, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  answer 
  on 
  every 
  

   stone 
  I 
  have 
  seen, 
  that 
  they 
  sat 
  astride, 
  and 
  worked 
  the 
  arrow 
  in 
  

   front 
  of 
  them, 
  as 
  my 
  observation 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  all 
  have 
  grooves 
  across, 
  

   rather 
  than 
  lengthwise 
  of 
  the 
  stone. 
  Another 
  thing 
  makes 
  me 
  think 
  

   they 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  groove 
  

   reaches 
  a 
  width 
  sufficient 
  for 
  the 
  maximum 
  size 
  of. 
  arrow 
  shafts, 
  

   they 
  proceed 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  second 
  groove. 
  If 
  it 
  was 
  for 
  some 
  purpose 
  

   that 
  did 
  not 
  require 
  a 
  uniform 
  or 
  absolute 
  size, 
  one 
  groove 
  would 
  

   answer 
  every 
  purpose.* 
  

  

  The 
  crosswise 
  grooving, 
  however, 
  while 
  general 
  is 
  not 
  invariable. 
  

   The 
  uniformity 
  of 
  the 
  grooves, 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  speaks, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  features 
  of 
  these 
  curious 
  stones. 
  

  

  