﻿12 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  many 
  forts 
  and 
  sites 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  obliterated, 
  quite 
  a 
  goodly 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  have 
  been 
  located 
  and 
  described, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  moderate 
  farther 
  

   research 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  tell 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  the 
  occupation 
  of 
  New 
  

   York 
  in 
  historic 
  and 
  prehistoric 
  times. 
  

  

  The 
  articles 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  aborigines 
  here 
  have 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  in 
  nature 
  

   and 
  origin. 
  In 
  a 
  broad 
  way 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  flaked 
  or 
  chipped 
  

   forms 
  of 
  stone, 
  those 
  of 
  clay, 
  those 
  of 
  shell, 
  horn 
  or 
  bone, 
  those 
  of 
  

   metal, 
  glass 
  and 
  wood; 
  and 
  most 
  interesting 
  of 
  all, 
  those 
  of 
  picked 
  

   or 
  polished 
  stone. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  simple 
  matter 
  of 
  convenience, 
  for 
  many 
  

   things 
  in 
  all 
  these 
  have 
  other 
  relations. 
  Fine 
  and 
  beautifully 
  wrought 
  

   articles 
  may 
  precede 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  rude, 
  or 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  coex- 
  

   isted 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  camp 
  or 
  town. 
  Horn 
  and 
  bone 
  were 
  often 
  used 
  

   with 
  stone. 
  Metallic 
  articles 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  remote 
  date, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  recent. 
  

   Wood 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  every 
  period. 
  

  

  While 
  many 
  rude 
  implements 
  closely 
  resemble 
  those 
  called 
  paleo- 
  

   lithic, 
  these 
  are 
  usually 
  surface 
  finds 
  here, 
  pointing 
  to 
  no 
  remote 
  

   antiquity. 
  In 
  fact 
  quite 
  deep 
  burial 
  often 
  proves 
  no 
  test 
  of 
  age, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  some 
  well 
  known 
  customs 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  natural 
  agencies. 
  

   Some 
  implements 
  made 
  of 
  argillite, 
  and 
  much 
  changed 
  by 
  weathering 
  

   or 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  soil, 
  although 
  surface 
  finds, 
  are 
  precisely 
  Hke 
  

   those 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  deposits 
  at 
  Trenton, 
  N. 
  J. 
  Thus 
  far 
  

   none 
  of 
  the 
  ruder 
  articles 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  at 
  any 
  great 
  depth 
  

   here, 
  though 
  this 
  is 
  but 
  negative 
  testimony, 
  which 
  farther 
  research' 
  

   may 
  change. 
  Up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  polished 
  stone 
  implements 
  have 
  

   been 
  reported 
  here 
  deepest 
  of 
  all. 
  How 
  reliable 
  the 
  reports 
  are 
  it 
  is 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  say. 
  

  

  Caches 
  of 
  flint 
  are 
  frequent, 
  commonly 
  composed 
  of 
  broadly 
  

   chipped 
  stones, 
  rather 
  more 
  triangular 
  than 
  leaf-shaped 
  in 
  form, 
  

   and 
  nearly 
  ahke 
  in 
  size, 
  although 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  the 
  case. 
  In 
  

   general 
  they 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  those 
  from 
  which 
  others 
  were 
  to 
  

   be 
  made, 
  having 
  been 
  deposited 
  either 
  for 
  security 
  or 
  to 
  preserve 
  

   the 
  temper 
  of 
  the 
  flint. 
  Although 
  not 
  strictly 
  correct, 
  this 
  word 
  will 
  

   be 
  used 
  for 
  a 
  common 
  material. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  simple 
  articles 
  were 
  

   not 
  farther 
  elaborated, 
  but 
  at 
  once 
  came 
  into 
  use. 
  Others 
  may 
  have 
  

   been 
  changed 
  into 
  other 
  forms, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  little 
  piore 
  than 
  theory. 
  

   Their 
  uniformity 
  in 
  size, 
  and 
  their 
  burial 
  in 
  quantities 
  give 
  plausi- 
  

  

  