746 Archeology of the Champlain Valley. {December, 
others have been found of similar character. If these specimens 
are to be considered as implements at all, they are better fitted for 
use as knives than as spear points, and on this account I will 
mention them here. So far as I can ascertain, no specimens of 
this sort have been found elsewhere, but they occur on both the 
Vermont and New York shores of the lake, though none have 
been found far from it. Of the dozen specimens which have been 
found, no two are alike in form or size, but they all resemble each 
other in being made of slate, usually red roofing slate, ground, 
not chipped, and with the stem notched on each side by a series 
of semicircular depressions. In some specimens the notches are 
small, in others large; one specimen having but two deep and 
wide notches on each side of the rather short stem, while another 
has five smaller ones. As has been said all are of slate, those 
not made from roofing slate are of drab talcose slate, except one 
which is of a compact mica slate. In some the surfaces are flat, 
beveled only near the edges, which are straight and sharp in all, 
while in others the whole surface is beveled from a median line. 
All are very regularly and finely formed; some are smooth, others 
show marks of grinding. Most are more or less ovate-triangular 
in outline, but one or two have nearly straight and parallel sides, 
except near to the point. Two of these specimens are shown full 
size in Fig. 7, but the figure does not fully represent the regular- 
ity of form of the original. One or two are so long and narrow 
that they seem wholly unfit for any use as implements, one espe- 
cially, made of talcose slate, is nearly nine inches long and one 
and a-half inches in width at the base, the average width being 
much less. Such an implement would break with very little 
rough usage. The other specimens are smaller and stronger, but 
none would long remain intact if subjected to much hard treat- 
ment. Most of the specimens are from two and a-half to three 
inches long, some being a little less, some more than this. The 
width varies less, most of the specimens being very near ly an 
inch and a-half at the widest part. One or two specimens have 
been found which were precisely similar to those described except 
that the stem was without notches. None of the specimens 
show decided indications of having been used, and most are as 
fresh in appearance as when first made; this fact, added to the 
great weakness of some, and lack of strength in the material 
~ of all, leads me to conjecture that they may have been badges of : 
office or something of the sort, rather than for any definite use 
