By S. B. Dixon, Esq., F.G.8. 



99 



corn against some hard substance, and this subsequently developed 

 into grinding' it with mullers and querns, not dissimilar to the work 

 of a pestle and mortar. 



Hammers. After these rough hammers came the more finished 

 perforated hammers in which a circular hole has been drilled by 

 some means through the centre. The external surface of these has 

 been more carefully fashioned and ground into shape, and they were 

 probabty mounted afterwards in some way in a handle. What these 

 handles were or what was the mode of fastening them is still un- 

 certain, as the holes made through them appear almost too small to 

 contain a shaft of sufficient strength to wield the hammer. It has 

 been suggested that they were only intended to be used in the hand, 

 and these cavities were made to assist in keeping a firm hold of the 

 stone. Another suggestion is that they were offensive weapons, 

 attached by a thong of leather to a handle and used as " flail stones." 

 There is a weapon in use among the Esquimaux, consisting of a 

 stone ball with a drilled hole through which a strip of raw hide is 

 passed to serve as a handle. Many of these hammers are hard to 

 distinguish from the sinkers for nets or lines, probably of no great 

 antiquity, which have been frequently found in various parts of 

 England and the continent, in Ireland, and parts of North America. 

 They continue in use to the present day. 



Scrapers. One of the most usual forms of worked flints is the 

 " scraper/'' so called from its similarity to a stone implement now in 

 use among the Esquimaux, and among some American tribes, for 

 scraping skins, and other like purposes. They are still in use in 

 countries where metal is also used. 



These are most abundant in all districts, and a locality near 

 Avebury, called Windmill Hill, appears to have once been a manu- 

 factory for them. They are found lying about the fields by hundreds. 

 Their outline is in some cases horse-shoe shaped ; in others circular ; 

 in others like an oyster shell. In the former they have been only 

 chipped at the lower edge, and have probably been inserted in a 

 handle of bone, ivory, or wood. Thus mounted they are now in 

 use with the Esquimaux. When it is considered how important a 

 part the skins of animals play in the daily life of most savage tribes 



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