﻿58 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  was 
  to 
  chip 
  the 
  stone 
  into 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  celt, 
  when 
  this 
  could 
  be 
  

   done. 
  This 
  might 
  go 
  no 
  farther, 
  for 
  as 
  a 
  weapon 
  of 
  war 
  it 
  was 
  

   already 
  serviceable, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  arts 
  of 
  peace. 
  If 
  the 
  

   material 
  was 
  fine, 
  it 
  might 
  afterwards 
  be 
  picked 
  and 
  polished. 
  Often 
  

   the 
  edge 
  was 
  ground 
  before 
  these 
  things 
  were 
  done. 
  The 
  finish 
  has 
  

   nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  age, 
  for 
  the 
  rudest 
  and 
  most 
  finished 
  forms 
  

   may 
  be 
  found, 
  side 
  by 
  side, 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  village 
  site. 
  Many 
  show 
  all 
  

   three 
  processes 
  in 
  the 
  unfinished 
  implement. 
  The 
  work, 
  might 
  go 
  

   on 
  for 
  years, 
  at 
  intervals, 
  the 
  weapon 
  being 
  used 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  time. 
  

   As 
  the 
  difference 
  is 
  thus 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  finish, 
  except 
  in 
  flint 
  celts, 
  no 
  

   illustrations 
  need 
  be 
  given 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  common 
  stone. 
  

  

  A 
  micaceous 
  stone 
  is 
  frequent 
  on 
  a 
  few 
  sites, 
  showing 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  

   work, 
  but 
  presenting 
  such 
  resemblances 
  to 
  finished 
  celts 
  that 
  one 
  can 
  

   hardly 
  doubt 
  its 
  use. 
  It 
  would 
  soon 
  lose 
  all 
  marks 
  of 
  human 
  skill. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  Iroquois 
  sites, 
  one 
  can 
  hardly 
  fail 
  to 
  observe 
  

   how 
  the 
  stone 
  age 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  wane, 
  in 
  this 
  family 
  at 
  least. 
  With 
  rare 
  

   exceptions 
  stone 
  implements 
  were 
  rude, 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  neither 
  the 
  

   variety 
  nor 
  beauty 
  in 
  articles 
  of 
  stone 
  everywhere 
  seen 
  among 
  their 
  

   New 
  York 
  predecessors. 
  Bird 
  amulets, 
  goi;gets, 
  stone 
  tubes, 
  

   scrapers, 
  drills, 
  and 
  banner-stones 
  were 
  already 
  things 
  of 
  the 
  past. 
  

   Arrows 
  were 
  small, 
  comparatively 
  few, 
  and 
  mostly 
  of 
  one 
  form. 
  

   Stones 
  were 
  still 
  used 
  in 
  grinding 
  corn 
  and 
  cracking 
  nuts, 
  but 
  the 
  

   wooden 
  pestle 
  and 
  mortar 
  had 
  their 
  established 
  place 
  among 
  pros- 
  

   perous 
  people. 
  Stone 
  vessels 
  were 
  forgotten, 
  and 
  bone 
  and 
  horn 
  

   took 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  flint. 
  Still, 
  stone 
  was 
  necessary, 
  and 
  the 
  ungrooved 
  

   axe 
  was 
  often 
  finely 
  finished. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  chipped 
  celts 
  of 
  flint, 
  often 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  edge, 
  but 
  

   ground 
  flint 
  is 
  rare 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  Fig. 
  154 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  example, 
  

   coming 
  from 
  Onondaga 
  lake. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  common 
  hornstone, 
  two 
  and 
  

   three 
  quarters 
  inches 
  long, 
  seven 
  eighths 
  wide, 
  and 
  five 
  eighths 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch 
  thick. 
  It 
  is 
  ground 
  to 
  a 
  moderately 
  sharp 
  edge 
  at 
  both 
  ends. 
  

   A 
  broad 
  edged 
  one 
  of 
  chalcedony, 
  three 
  and 
  five 
  eighths 
  inches 
  long, 
  

   comes 
  from 
  Oswego 
  Falls. 
  Fig. 
  155 
  is 
  of 
  grey 
  flint, 
  two 
  inches 
  long, 
  

   one 
  inch 
  wide, 
  and 
  nine 
  sixteenths 
  thick. 
  The 
  cutting 
  edge 
  is 
  neatly 
  

   chipped, 
  and 
  one 
  surface 
  is 
  much 
  flatter 
  than 
  the 
  other. 
  This 
  is 
  from 
  

   Onondaga 
  lake. 
  A 
  much 
  larger 
  one 
  of 
  grey 
  flint, 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  