1878.] Glacial Drift in North America . 57 
in the underlying gravel. One of the sections given by Mr. 
Wallace shows the following succession of beds : — 
Feet. 
Brick earth underlying greyish clay ... 9 
Rounded gravel, reddish hue 4 
Fine bluish sand 12 
Gravel and bluish pebbles 4 
Compacted sand (probably Tertiary). 
Several implements were found on the surface of the lower 
bed of gravel. This lower gravel contains large numbers 
of the pebbles from which the implements, for the most 
part, appear to have been fashioned. In some parts large 
boulders (one 8 ft. by 12 ft.) rest upon the gravel, and 
appear as if they had been brought by floating ice and 
deposited in gentle waters. Mr. Wallace notes the similarity 
of many of the implements to those of palaeolithic age in 
Europe. I believe this is the first notice of the discovery 
of palaeolithic implements on the eastern sea-board of 
North America, 
The report by Dr. C. C. Abbott of his discoveries of stone 
implements in the drift-gravels near Trenton, New Jersey, 
appeared in the “Tenth Annual Report of the Peabody 
Museum,” issued during the present year.* My attention 
was drawn to it, soon after its publication, by Dr. D. Wilson, 
of Toronto, — who has since reviewed Dr. Abbott’s paper, t — ■ 
and in consequence I visited the locality. Dr. Abbott 
showed to me a great number of the implements he had 
found, and afterwards accompanied me to the principal 
places near Trenton from which they had been obtained. 
Whilst a few of the implements resemble some of the 
palaeolithic chipped flints of England and France, the gene- 
ral form and type is of a ruder and more imperfect character. 
Some are simply made from rounded flat pebbles by chipping 
a cutting edge at one end. Amongst them are many of what 
Dr. Abbott has named the “ turtle-back ” type. It appears 
to have been formed by using a pebble with one side natu- 
rally flat, or by producing a flat surface by artificial fradlure 
and bevelling down the other side by chipping, so as to 
produce a cutting edge. 
Whilst the general character of the implements is ruder 
than the European, a few appear more like a spear-head 
than I have seen amongst the latter. I have shown a few, 
* Op. cit ., p. 30. 
f Canadian Journal of Science, Odtober, 1877, p. 557. 
