THE 
AMERICAN NATURALIST. 
VoL. xix.—DECEMBER, 1885.—No. 12. 
THE STONE AX IN VERMONT. 
I. CELTS. 
BY PROFESSOR GEO, H. PERKINS, 
HOSE specimens usually termed stone axes, for whatever 
purpose designed by their makers, may be grouped under the 
three heads, celt or ungrooved ax, notched ax and grooved ax. 
To the first group, the celts, by far the larger number of our ax- 
like implements, must be referred, and of this alone will the fol- 
lowing pages treat, other varieties of the ax being deferred 
until a second paper. This term celt is convenient rather than 
accurately descriptive, embracing, as it usually does, a great 
variety of objects which undoubtedly were put to a variety of uses, 
We might easily set aside some of our celts as axes, others as chis- 
els and still others as skin-dressers, or adzes, or hoes, but in most 
cases this definite assignment is wholly theoretical, and hence 
very possibly erroneous. Moreover, when we attempt to arrange 
a large series of these implements under the various groups, we 
soon discover numerous intermediate forms by which all may be 
united into a nearly unbroken series. There can be no doubt 
that there were certain uses for which some implements were 
especially intended, and other uses which others were to serve. 
Nor can there be any doubt that when occasion required, the 
same implement served for several sorts of work. For our pres- 
ent purpose it will be most convenient to call all our ungrooved 
axes celts. 
As compared with other classes of implements celts are not 
uncommon in our Vermont collections, and they exhibit a 
VOL, XIX.—NO. XII. 75. 
