Abbott.] 98 [October 18, 



singly, just as they had been dropped into the water covering the 

 gravel at the time, or were transported by the water and ice that 

 brought to its final resting place the gravel then and there asso- 

 ciated with each specimen. In this instance, on the other hand, 

 it seemed to me highly probable (to say the least) that these 

 objects had been left by man on the sand where they were found, 

 and subsequently buried by fresh accumulations of gravel. 



Considering how few, indeed, are the specimens of palaeolithic 

 implements, as compared with the entire mass of the deposit, it 

 would be very strange if so many of these objects had chanced to 

 be lost at once, or were together transported from a distance and 

 left lying in such close proximity. 



The association of these five specimens, and the fact that they 

 were resting on a sand bar deeply buried by coarse gravel, to- 

 gether go far to show that man fashio/ned these clipped stones, 

 and that as long ago as the deposition of the Trenton gravel, they 

 were lost or discarded by him. 



That they could have gotten to this buried sand from the sur- 

 face, is absolutely impossible. However strongly inclined one 

 may be to consider that all deeply buried single specimens have 

 by some unexplained means become inhumed, this supposed pos- 

 sibility with reference to single objects is wholly inapplicable to 

 five objects, such as these, found, as these were, very near each 

 other. Can any other explanation, then that I have suggested, be 

 given ? Do not these five chipped implements confirm both the 

 age and origin of all previously discovered specimens ? 



I desire now, before referring to a recent and unique " find," in 

 these implement-bearing gravels, to call attention to a specimen 

 of chipped pebble, which presents several points of interest. This 

 object is a quartz palaeolithic implement. Now, this particular 

 form is one quite common, made of argillite. I have probably 

 fifty which are in no way different, except the material of 

 which they are made. Quartz of this character is a common 

 mineral in the mass that collectively constitutes the Trenton 

 gravel ; it occurs, not only as boulders, but as pebbles of 

 such size that but little chipping is required to convert them 

 into implements of this type. Considering this fact, it is not 

 to be wondered at that it was occasionally used by the 

 people who habitually used argillite for a similar purpose. The 

 interest centering in this specimen, however, lies in the fact that 



