:'>'_' Loom )k and Yoiiihj — Shell Heaps of Maine. 



ing a couple of acres. In this case the shells belong to very 

 large individuals, many of them a foot in length. On "White 

 Island the oysters form a layer only about three inches thick, 

 and are relatively small. Evidently the occurrence of oyster 

 shells accords with the former distribution of the species. 



The large whelk (Buccinum labradorense Beeve) was found 

 scatteringly in all the heaps, at all levels. Judging from the 

 way they are brought up on the shore to-day by birds, and 

 broken or left in the sun to die, that is probably what happened 

 in the earlier days, and these do not represent food supplies 

 but the incidental and natural occurrence of the form. In like 

 manner Natica heros was found scattered in the heaps and for 

 the same reason, they, too, being incidental and not a part of 

 the food supply. 



In some cases sea-urchins occurred, isolated among the shells, 

 and then their presence is, as above, accidental ; but in other 

 cases there were in almost every heap bands, often two or three 

 inches thick, of disintegrated sea-urchin shells. Such masses 

 of fragments doubtless mean that in these cases the Indians 

 used the urchins for food. Again, these look like cases when 

 other food was scarce. 



The consideration of the tools throws light upon the habits 

 of the users, and supplements the points which have come out 

 in the study of the food supplies. In most cases the animals 

 which have furnished food have also offered material for the 

 making of tools. The two studies supplement each other, and 

 then the tools offer some further data as to the work done and 

 the grade of development of the industries. 



Following is a list of the various tools found, together with 

 their relative distribution and abundance. 



Beaver incisors were universally distributed and show work 

 of various sorts, the front edge being sharpened, or reshaped 

 to a narrower point by grinding away the sides. These are 

 often further modified by the back being cut away or the den- 

 tine on the inner face being ground down, so that a much 

 modified and important tool resulted. They were doubtless 

 set in handles of bone or wood, and used for making grooves 

 in wood and bone and for making pits and depressions in vari- 

 ous materials. Beaver teeth like these were found in the Baum 

 Village Site, and seem to occur in all Algonquin localities 

 where bone tools are found. They are, however, very scarce* 

 in Iroquois localities. Until very recent times similarly worked 

 beaver teeth were used by the Esquimos, both on the east and 

 west coast. The bones of the beaver were not found worked 

 at all. 



Harpoon points were made mostly from the cannon bones of 

 the deer, and vary from nicely finished single-barbed points up 



