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acquainted with seal-nets, snowshoes, and labrets, for these have all been 
considered by some writers to be recent introductions. Pottery was 
abundant in most of the ruins, but it was invariably plain, or marked only 
with the simplest impressions around the rim; there was no trace of the 
decorated pottery that has been reported from farther south. 
Flint and serpentine, especially flint, were surprisingly rare at Wales, 
and also on Diomede islands. The sources for both are to the north, 
serpentine occurring on Kobuk river, and flint at various places north 
of Kotzebue sound. Both are very common in ruins at Point Hope and at 
Barrow. Their rarity in Bering strait must be ascribed to infrequent 
contact with the northern natives rather than to an imperfect appreciation 
of their value for tools and weapons. This would indicate that in earlier 
times there was less communication between the various Eskimo tribes 
along the coast than there is today, although most writers assert the 
contrary. 
One object, and one only, apparently, underwent changes of style 
at different periods, the sealing harpoon-head, which may, therefore, 
prove of considerable value for dating the various Eskimo ruins. It is 
discussed more fully later, when dealing with the archeological specimens 
from Diomede islands. Here it is only necessary to say that the three 
newer houses at Wales, abandoned about 1700, contained three types 
of sealing harpoon-heads, one with closed and two with open sockets, 
but that the mound dwellings contained no specimens with closed sockets 
and only one of the two types with open sockets. 
Little Diomede island was far less favourable for arch geological work 
than Wales. It was formerly a huge crag of granitic rock that contained 
tabular masses of recrystallized limestone; the limestone weathered, and 
the crag broke down into a mass of breccia, with steep precipices around 
the shores. Landing is possible in one place only, on a narrow boulder 
beach 300 yards long on the southwest side. The native village lies on 
■the slope behind it, and the mass of the island towers above, rising at an 
angle of about 60 degrees to an altitude of 1 ,300 feet. The stone dwellings 
of the Eskimos are built over older dwellings, for space is limited; and 
wherever a space lies empty, enormous rocks such as are continually 
sliding down the mountainside conceal all traces of the more ancient 
ruins. There are rubbish heaps in front of the houses that lend themselves 
to excavation, but they have all been overturned by the Eskimos, who 
work the fossilized ivory into ormaments, or sell it to traders at $2,50 a 
pound. 
The writer excavated three sites on the island, or six houses, for in 
each case a second house had been erected over the ruins of the first; 
even the lower houses, however, contained harpoon-heads with iron points, 
so that none of them dated back more than 200 or 250 years. There 
may have been still older dwellings underneath, but huge rocks that could 
be removed only by cranes or blasting prevented the investigations from 
being carried to greater depths. A large rubbish heap in front of a house 
that was abandoned less than 50 years ago was also excavated. This 
heap was of uncertain extent, and had already been ransacked for its ivory 
to a depth of about 2 feet 6 inches, like all the rubbish heaps on the island. 
The workmen marked out an area 5 yards by 4, and removed the soil 
as fast as it thawed out. When the island was left the pit was 3 feet deep, 
and prolific in specimens of all kinds. Iron, that had been common in 
