—-1886.] The Stone Ax in Vermont. 337 
the lower part is seen, and in several celts I have seen the same 
form. So marked is this twist that it would seem impossible to 
strike a fair blow with such an ax if it was attached to a long 
handle, and this difficulty raises the question whether some of 
these large grooved axes may not have been hand axes, not many 
of them, perhaps, but a few. The head of the Springfield ax is 
rounded carefully, and indeed the whole ax is very well made, 
and when held in the hand with the ends of the fingers in the 
groove, it seems most admirably adapted for use in this way. I 
am aware that the groove in itself suggests a handle of some 
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Sort, but, as has been noticed, in the case of these oblique axes 
t ~ At least, the hand and arm of the user would surely make a much 
better handle than any other. The form cannot be regarded as 
accidental, I think; the specimens are too carefully and thoroughly 
made to allow place for such a supposition. ae 
The general character of our Vermont grooved axes is very — 
well shown by Figs. 4 and 5, which represent the two classes — 
_— often found. Both of them are comparatively quite flat or _ 
» and our grooved axes never approach a cylindrical form, ; 
are always narrowly elliptical in cross-section. Scarcely any 
VOL, XX.—No, ty, ae . oe 
