Dkcembek 12, 1884.] 



SCIENCE. 



529 



Other things being equal, it would seem that 

 thin disks of stone would naturally be chosen 

 for the purpose in question, as being least diffi- 

 cult to work notches in. 



It ma}- be proper to explain, that Eed Lake 

 lies in the Ojibwa reservation of the same 

 name, to the north-west of the head waters of 

 the Mississippi River. The band of about 

 twelve hundred Indians inhabiting the reser- 

 vation originated at Lake Superior, and jour- 

 neyed hither hy waj T of Rainy Lake ; but it has 

 been more or less re-enforced during its century 

 of existence by Ojibwas of identical extraction, 

 coming from various other northern lakes of 

 the state, as Cass Lake, Gull Lake, and Win- 

 nibigoshish and Leech Lakes. Hence it may 

 be inferred that the mode of net-fishing here 

 practised is one prevailing commonly among 

 the lake Ojibwas of the north-west ; and this 

 agrees substantially with their own state- 

 ments upon the subject. 



Chopjring-stones. — It cannot be doubted, 

 however, that notched discoiclal pebbles have 

 been in use among the Ojibwas from time 

 immemorial as fuel- breakers. The objects fig- 

 ured in Abbott's 'Stone age in New Jersey ' 

 (figs. 204, 205), old edition (see fig. 3), are 



Fig. 3. — Chopping-stone. 



asserted by the Red-Lakers to be precisely 

 such as are described by Mr. Warren in the 

 quotation given above. These little implements 

 are called axes, though the} T are not designed 

 for cutting, and might with more propriety be 

 specialized as chopping-stones. It goes with- 

 out saying, that the primitive Ojibwas did not 

 supply themselves w r ith fuel after our fashion. 

 They*never cut body -wood for firing ; but, hav- 

 ing at command the illimitable forest with its 

 abundance of fallen trees, they provided for 

 warmth by simply breaking the dried bark and 

 twigs, or large branches close at hand, into 



lengths suitable for their purpose. Indeed, 

 families very generally changed their dwelling- 

 place, during the season of greatest cold, in 

 order to bring such supplies within eas} r reach. 



The tools represented by these figures seem 

 much too small for effective work in their line, 

 but I was assured by the Indians that this is 

 not the case. In fact, the summer fires kept 

 up for the purpose of driving away insects, 

 and for drying fish and other game, and corn, 

 as well as for occasional cooking processes. 

 are commonly maintained (many times by chil- 

 dren) with mere twigs, and such small boughs 

 as would be most easily separated by a chop- 

 ping-stone of small size. Old Ojibwa authori- 

 ties state that they know no Indians who do 

 not avail themselves of these simple fuel-break- 

 ers whenever unprovided with better tools. 



Rat-and-duck arrow. — The small object 

 illustrated at fig. 4 is a weapon of the chase, 



«_ 



Fig. 4. — Rat-arrow, natural size. 



which is known to have been in occasional use 

 at Red Lake as recently as a half- century ago. 

 It was collected some years since by Mr. Elmer 

 Hamilton, of the agency, from the beach of 

 Red Lake, where it had been newly thrown up 

 by the waves. A portion has been broken 

 from the extremity of the stem, so that, as fig- 

 ured, it does not show the original length. 



This instrument was unknown to the younger 

 Ojibwas of the place, who, however, were of 

 opinion that it must be something in the nature 

 of a fish-spear. Later the object was brought 

 to the attention of chief Leading Feather and 

 certain other of the older members of the band, 

 by whom it was at once recognized as a kind 

 of arrow-point formerly used in the tribe for 

 shooting muskrats and ducks. They called it, 

 in fact, a rat-and-duck shooter, and the} T as- 

 serted that it was put to service bj T tying it 

 securely at the end of an arrow, and despatching 

 it from a wooden bow. Leading Feather and 

 his friends had often heard of this weapon from 

 old Ojibwa hunters, as one commonly employed 

 by their tribe in ancient times, but at present 

 superseded by fire-arms. Certain of the Red- 

 Lakers claimed to have seen the implement in 

 use during their boyhood. From all I could 

 gather upon this subject, I judged that the rat- 

 arrow was largely put in requisition at a for- 

 mer day, for destroying small animals which it 

 was desirable to preserve unmangled. 



Franc E. Babbttt. 



