280 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



may have been obtusely elliptic with broad notches or points at the 



ends. Dr Amidon found this in a refuse pit near St Lawrence 



village, and thus described it : 



Part of a gorget, or some other article of adornment, made 'from 

 — I should say — moose or caribou antler, because of its great 

 breadth and flatness. Probably double-ended, i. e. symmetrical. 

 Pound only one end. On the back are two holes for suspension by 

 a thong. The front is traversed by transverse lines, between which 

 are decorations of a cuneiform character. 



The two holes may have terminated in the interior cavity, as they 

 converge, but may possibly have passed through to the frontal sur- 

 face. It probably lacks but little of the original length and breadth, 

 judging from the surface curves. The arrowheaded marks are pecu- 

 liar, and in four rows. Another might have been expected, but 

 there are no signs of this. The interior is now cellular, without 

 signs of work. The general style is somewhat recent. 



One class of grim ornaments has left some examples. The New 

 England Indians were at first credited with taking the heads or 

 hands of their enemies as trophies. The Neutrals of Canada gloried 

 in the number of human heads they had taken. This may be 

 understood literally or may refer to the scalps which they removed 

 from the heads. However this may be, ornaments made from 

 human skulls are sometimes found in JSTew York. Fig. 141 is one 

 of the best examples now known, and was in the Twining collection. 

 It came from Rutland in Jefferson county, is nicely worked around 

 the edges, and has nine perforations. Fig. 148 is a fragment found 

 in Pompey. There are two perforations remaining, and part of a 

 third. It is flat and thin. Fig. 149 is a perforated pendant of bone 

 from Hemlock lake, Livingston co. N. Y. A photograph of this 

 was furnished by Dr T. B. Stewart of Lock Haven Pa. The bone 

 is much curved, and the figure suggests part of a skull. 



Fig. 201 is also of a doubtful nature. It is a small oboval bone 

 gorget, with one large and two small holes, and is slightly concave. 

 It is a recent article from East Bloomfield, owned by Irving W. 

 Coats. Fig. 202 is in the Yail collection, and comes from the recent 

 fort near Pompey Center. It is a grooved, cut and perforated 

 piece of human skull. A grooved fragment was found with this. 

 Fig. 303 is a thick, flat and curved bone. The writer does not 



