. 478 ~ General Notes. [July, 
bird at widely separated points, and an examination discovered 
them to have been recently laid. In the absence of the nests of 
other birds, therefore, the cow-bird will drop its eggs indiscrim- 
inately in times of sudden or unexpected delivery. 
I met also, a few years ago, with a singular case of the ovipos- 
iting (or reproductive parasitism, I could not determine satisfac- 
torily which) of the meadow-lark (Sturnella magna Bd.), in some 
degree analogous to that of the yellow-billed cuckoo. One nest 
which I found near Parkesburg, Penna., contained five eggs which 
had been laid at two distinctly separated periods, and, to all 
appearances, by two different individuals. Three of the eggs were 
smaller than the ordinary eggs of this bird and were so far 
advanced in the stages of incubation that I found it impossible to 
remove the contents without destroying the shells. The remain- 
ing two, however, were much larger and perfectly fresh. There 
was no doubt, however, that all were of the same species.—Z. A. 
Barber. 
ANTHROPOLOGY.! 
ON THE PROBABLE USE OF DiscorpAL Stones.—There is one 
class of pre-historic relics which has been treated or referred to 
by nearly every writer upon archeology, with nearly as many 
theories and conjectures as to the probable use. Schliemann 
devotes many pages to illustrations, most of the specimens bear- 
ing exquisite designs in ornamentation. England, Ireland and 
several continental localities have yielded numerous examples of 
the same style of relics with less ornamentation. The mounds 
throughout the Ohio and Mississippi valleys have furnished many 
highly wrought specimens, but rarely any with any attempt at . 
$ 
ornamentation. hese relics occur of various materials, such as 
diorite, syenite, quartzite, novaculite, greenstone, jasper, and in a 
few cases catlinite. They are circular, concave on either side 
sometimes, and I might say generally have a hole in the middle, 
varying from one-eighth to one-fourth of the total diameter. The 
periphery is seldom flattened but usually slightly convex, showing 
no trace of wear, but on the contrary, perhaps more highly pol- 
ished, if that be ‘possible, in many of those found. 
There are two predominating sizes; specimens of the first 
class averaging from three to six inches in diameter, while those 
of the second are generally less than two inches. These may 
again be subdivided according to their perforation, ornamentation, 
etc., but it is not our purpose to dwell upon these points. The 
smaller specimens, which are found to exceed the larger in great 
proportion, were no doubt used in games, similar to tossing pen- 
nies and winning upon certain pre-arranged agreements. There 
may have been some colors used to distinguish one side from the 
other, and as colors, manufactured and applied by aboriginal 
races are easily removed, we can readily account for their absence 
1 Edited by Prof, Orts T. Masox, Columbian College, Washington, D. C. 
