Loomis and Young — Shell Heaps of Maine. 29 



incisors of the adult were very seldom found in the jaws, hav- 

 ing been extracted to make. cutting tools. On the other hand, 

 in addition to the finds of beaver bones or teeth, there were 39 

 finds of incisor teeth which had been worked into tools. The 

 beaver is strictly a fresh-water animal, and not particularly 

 addicted to the coast, so the getting of these animals must 

 have represented a systematic, and universal, skill in trapping. 

 Occasionally bones were found which had been gnawed by 

 beavers ; so they must have come upon the shell heaps occa- 

 sionally. This also indicates that they were abundant during 

 the shell heap period, for while on a fishing expedition, the 

 Indians would hardly make very great efforts to get beaver 

 when they were abundant further inland. 



The muskrat (Fiber zibethicus Cuvier") was occasionally 

 found, three jaws having been turned up. It is only incidental 

 as an article of food, and was probably taken when trapping 

 for beaver or some similar form. 



The northern pine mouse (Microtus pinetorum scalopsoides 

 (A. & B.) Batchelder) was found once, when five individuals, 

 all with complete skeletons, lay together in a little pocket. 

 This can scarcely be interpreted as having anything to do with 

 the Indians, but is rather a case where a nest of mice were 

 killed by winter, or some other accident, and may have been 

 contemporaneous with the building of the heaps, or later. 



The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus Rhoads) in like 

 manner occurred twice, each time two individuals with more 

 or less complete skeletons, which could not be attributed to the 

 Indians. 



The Great Auk (Plautus impennis Linneus) was far and away 

 the most abundant of the bird remains. While on Sawyer's 

 Island deer was the staple article of food, on Flagg Island no 

 other form occurs as often as the great auk. On Sawyer's 

 there was but one find of the great auk made, but on the other 

 sites it was always an appreciable element of the food supply. 



Though on most of the sites it is evident that fishing was the 

 chief business of the camp, on Flagg Island it would appear 

 that it was catching birds, chiefly this great auk. Here cod 

 remains were few, deer were scarce, but the auk and mink 

 were abundant food articles. The character of this heap sug- 

 gests that its inhabitants were experts in trapping, and the 

 auk is a bird easily trapped or even captured with a club, or 

 possibly bait. 



Duck (Anas boschas Linneus) were unexpectedly scarce, 

 being identified but once, and that on Flagg Island. 



The loon (Halisetus leucocephalus Linneus) too was found 

 in small numbers in most of the heaps, and was probably 

 sought rather for its feathers than for its meat. 



