616 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ment ; a Hupa woman and girl in straw caps and dresses, with a 

 papoose in its pretty basket cradle — these and other carefully- 

 chosen and usually well-executed groups give life, reality, and 

 meaning to the objects in the cases around. 



In a large alcove near by, occupied in great part by models of 

 cliff -ruins, pueblos, and other monuments of the Southwest, are 

 two interesting exhibits from Mr. Thomas Wilson, of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and Mr. William H. Holmes, of the Bureau of 

 Ethnology. Mr. Wilson aims to present a synopsis of prehistoric 

 archaeology. The relics of palaeolithic man from France, Eng- 

 land, Egypt, and India are fairly represented. Next to them are 

 placed some of the claimed palseoliths of New Jersey and Minne- 

 sota. Rude implements of forms akin to palseoliths but of uncer- 

 tain or negative geological relations from all parts of the United 

 States follow. A good neolithic series from the Swiss lake dwell- 

 ings and the tumuli of Denmark is shown. Fine specimens illus- 

 trate work in polished stone in America. The bronze age in 

 Europe, illustrated by objects from Switzerland, France, etc., is 

 set alongside of objects of copper from American mounds and 

 bronzes from Mexico. Some of the finer objects in jade, quartz, 

 crystal, and obsidian from Mexico, and stone collars and mammi- 

 form stones from Porto Rico, complete the exhibit. Mr. Holmes's 

 series is intended to illustrate Indian quarrying and mining. It 

 is altogether a model display. The now famous quarry at Piney 

 Branch, near Washington, is first illustrated. On this site the 

 Indians formerly quarried pebbles, from the gravel deposits, for 

 making into implements. These pebbles were worked up into 

 " blanks " — oval or leaf -shaped — from which, later and elsewhere, 

 spear-points, arrowheads, and the like were made. In making these 

 blanks many pebbles would be found to be worthless and would 

 be rejected. These rejects and the blanks themselves closely re- 

 semble our American " palseoliths," and Mr. Holmes believes that 

 some at least of our American palseolith localities are old quarry 

 sites, and that the palseoliths themselves are rejects. There can 

 be little doubt that the showing of this idea has much to do with 

 the making of this display. The exhibit, however, is so complete 

 and excellently worked out that it has profound value apart from 

 any theoretical interest. In regard to Piney Branch Mr. Holmes 

 displays in table cases a series of pebbles, rejects of every stage, 

 and blanks ; along the wall above are specimens showing every 

 stage from the pebble, through the blank, to the arrowhead or 

 spear-point. Above this series are framed diagrams, sections of 

 the quarry, and maps, also a fine series of photographs. Clear, 

 explanatory labels accompany all. In exactly the same way Mr. 

 Holmes illustrates an interesting quarry of chert in Peoria Reser- 

 vation, Indian Territory ; the novaculite quarry of Arkansas ; the 



