﻿476 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  down 
  the 
  slopes, 
  the 
  clay 
  stratum 
  outcropped. 
  Here 
  the 
  soil 
  was 
  

   bare 
  or 
  only 
  sparsely 
  covered 
  with 
  grass. 
  

  

  The 
  entire 
  knoll 
  was 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  peach 
  and 
  plum 
  orchard 
  (since 
  

   uprooted) 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  between 
  the 
  rows 
  of 
  trees 
  that 
  work 
  was 
  

   carried 
  on. 
  The 
  owner 
  naturally 
  objected 
  to 
  carrying 
  the 
  excava- 
  

   tions 
  too 
  near 
  the 
  roots 
  and 
  thus 
  it 
  was 
  sometimes 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   take 
  out 
  a 
  skeleton 
  or 
  to 
  open 
  a 
  pit 
  when 
  it 
  lay 
  beneath 
  a 
  tree. 
  In 
  

   such 
  cases 
  slanting 
  shafts 
  were 
  sunk 
  beneath 
  the 
  roots 
  and 
  the 
  pit 
  

   examined. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  somewhat 
  dangerous 
  operation 
  as 
  some- 
  

   times 
  the 
  overlying 
  sand 
  would 
  cave 
  down 
  and 
  engulf 
  the 
  curious 
  

   but 
  incautious 
  archeologist 
  who 
  after 
  a 
  time 
  would 
  be 
  rescued 
  by 
  

   his 
  assistants. 
  

  

  Preliminary 
  post 
  holing 
  over 
  the 
  knoll 
  soon 
  revealed 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  site, 
  and 
  in 
  consequence 
  it 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  sections, 
  the 
  

   village 
  and 
  the 
  burial. 
  Parallel 
  and 
  adjacent 
  trenches 
  were 
  staked 
  

   out 
  and 
  the 
  lines 
  run 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  post 
  holing 
  and 
  surface 
  indications 
  

   revealed 
  a 
  disturbance 
  or 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  by 
  its 
  former 
  

   occupation. 
  

  

  Surface 
  evidence 
  of 
  an 
  occupation 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  evidence 
  of 
  an 
  occupation 
  in 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   site 
  afterward 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  village 
  section 
  was 
  pronounced. 
  The 
  

   ground 
  was 
  strewn 
  with 
  heat 
  cracked 
  stones, 
  fragments 
  of 
  shale 
  

   anvils, 
  broken 
  flint 
  nodules, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  

   weathered 
  pottery 
  hidden 
  amongst 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  tall 
  grass. 
  The 
  

   luxurious 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  in 
  patches 
  when 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  scantier 
  

   growth 
  points 
  out 
  a 
  spot 
  of 
  soil 
  enriched 
  by 
  some 
  abnormal 
  

   agency. 
  The 
  rank 
  thick 
  grass 
  and 
  clover 
  here 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  site 
  

   was 
  conspicuous 
  and 
  pointed 
  out 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  occupied 
  soil 
  or 
  

   " 
  Indian 
  dirt 
  " 
  as 
  archeologists 
  sometimes 
  term 
  it. 
  Except 
  on 
  the 
  

   western 
  slope, 
  the 
  burial 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  site 
  revealed 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  its 
  

   character. 
  On 
  this 
  hillside 
  where 
  the 
  elements 
  had 
  washed 
  down 
  

   the 
  loose 
  sand 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  graves 
  were 
  left 
  so 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  

   that 
  the 
  skeletons 
  had 
  been 
  thrown 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  plow. 
  The 
  broken 
  

   and 
  crumbling 
  bones, 
  however, 
  would 
  hardly 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  observer 
  as 
  human 
  remains. 
  Other 
  than 
  the 
  bits 
  of 
  human 
  

   bone 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  external 
  indication 
  where 
  graves 
  

   were 
  located, 
  unless 
  it 
  were 
  conjectured 
  that 
  if 
  graves 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  at 
  all 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  most 
  easily 
  excavated. 
  

  

  Village 
  section 
  

  

  The 
  village 
  section 
  occupied 
  the 
  level 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  knoll 
  bordering 
  

   the 
  lake 
  bank 
  and 
  ran 
  back 
  south 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  about 
  200 
  feet 
  

  

  