14 Bulletin Santa Barbara Society of Natural History. Vol. I. 



After oivinpf his reasons at some length in each of 

 these supposed uses, he dismisses all except the last, 

 which he decides were the uses to which they were put. 

 In a note appended to the article, Prof. F. W. Putnam 

 states that "he has considered the implements gener- 

 ally classed under the names plummets and sinkers to 

 represent to a greater or less extent, according to size, 

 material, shape and finish; first, pestles; second, sink- 

 ers; third, spinning weights; fourth, ornaments." 



Mr. Henderson gives a number of localities where 

 these implements have been found. My attention was 

 particularly attracted by the statement that "about ten 

 years ago one of these implements was found under re- 

 markable circumstances in Woodbridge County, Cal." 

 there being no such county in California. 



I commenced an article on this subject at that time, 

 but press of other matters and a desire to obtain as much 

 reliable information as possible have prevented its 

 completion. 



During the years that have elapsed since the incep- 

 tion of this article, I have noted the various theories 

 advanced by different writers as to the uses of these 

 singular implements. 



A great many have written on the subject, and all 

 have accepted some one or more of the various theo- 

 ries projected. 



Foster, in his Prehistoric Races of the United States, 

 classes the plummet-shaped stones under the head of 

 "weights which may have been used in the process of 

 weaving," and figures three varieties of them (see 

 Figs. 31, a, 6, c, p. 230, Prehistoric Races), as "weights 

 to keep the threads taut." 



Thomas Ewbank, in his "Life in Brazil," published in 

 1856, figures two implements which might be classed 

 with those under consideration. I have copied from 

 his illustration on page 45 1 of his appendix (see Fig. 

 A). He says : "It resembles an agg in shape, is of 

 black, hard, smoothly polished stone, used for working 

 metal." On page 464 of the same appendix is figured 

 an implement exactly like some of our so-called plum- 



