592 Aboriginal Quarries—Soapstone Bowls and the (June, 
is of course caused by freezing and thawing of possibly centuries. 
On opening one of the pits the artificial character of the soil be- 
comes manifest, consisting as it does of chips of the soapstone 
without number, from the size of a pea to that of one’s fist, or 
even greater, mixed with the soil; with here and there a handle, 
a rim, or the bottom of a dish, and not unfrequently lost or 
broken tools. Rude evidences of a forgotten race, of whom all 
we know, or possibly can know, must be gleaned from these 
abandoned workshops. 
The shape of these vessels varies greatly, though generally 
speaking they are oblong; some, though, are round and some 
almost rectangular. They are from an inch to seven or eight 
deep, and from three to fifteen or eighteen inches long. Whilst 
some of these were small drinking cups that would have helda 
gill or so, or were possibly children’s toys, others were sufficiently 
large to hold a gallon or more. Almost invariably these dishes are 
supplied at the ends with handles coming straight out an inch or two 
from the body of the bowl. The only explanation of the absence 
of finished specimens in the quarries that appears to me at all 
plausible, is, that in the quarries the bowl was only blocked out 
in the rough, and was left to be completed at the owner's leisure 
in his home, where ornamentation and finish could be given at- 
cording to the skill or taste of the individual possessor. The 
outline being once formed, and the superfluous wei ht removed 
in the quarry, the vessel could be carried with comparative ¢asê, 
though some of the specimens are extremely heavy even them 
and some that I have seen must weigh as much as fifty oF n 
pounds, and could not have been transported any great distanc? 
from where they were manufactured, except with a greoaie! pe 
tion of strength than was probably ever made. To finish ere 
as they were certainly sometimes finished—with delicate pt 
smooth polish and rude ornamentation on the outer side—h sd 
required the same skill as was necessary in giving the bow 
original shape. It is highly probable that the quarry ene 
finished specimens in or near the quarries, and I trust t found} 
further research is given the subject some of them may be visi 
but it is of course possible that these quarries were ony a 
by those who were in search of vessels intended for their a wae 
and they being fashioned to suit the taste of the individ 
again abandoned; but this suggestion I do not think pr 
