134 
The Natukalists’ Companion. 
Q UERIES and AJVS WEES. 
G. S., Circleville, Texas.—The min¬ 
eral sent for identification is calcite, 
while the fossil is a holaster elegans, 
of the Cretaceous Period. 
W. H. P., Cincinnati,-O.—We thank 
you for your kind suggestion but think 
it would hardly pay at present. We 
may, however, act upon it sometime in 
the future if the young naturalists would 
take hold and help make it a success. 
Thanks for compliments. 
H. P. M., Summerville, S. C.—We 
should infer from the description of 
the egg given that it is that of the Black¬ 
billed Cuckoo; although we are not 
positive as you could nor describe the 
bird. Send egg and necessary stamps, 
if its return is desired, and we will 
identify it positively. 
Life in the arctic regions, as describ¬ 
ed by one of Prof Nodenskjold’s 
companions in his late expedition, pre¬ 
sents somewhat different experiences 
from his usual pictures of existence in 
these latitudes. Some of the expedition 
stopped at Walgatz island, and Dr. Na- 
thoist tells how they walked about in 
their shirt-sleeves on the slopes covei*ed 
with plants and shrubs, with butterflies 
and bees swarming around. ^Sometimes 
the heat was so great that one would 
have been satisfied with less in many a 
summer home. We richly enjoyed a 
bath in the spring. I'he mosquitos were 
annoying, so that we had to use both 
netting and gloves. Every day brought 
us a rich harvest of petrifactions of trop¬ 
ical plants, such as figs, plantains, mag¬ 
nolias, etc., and while at work on die 
slopes we could feast our eyes on the 
innumerable icebergs around us of every 
variety of shape.”—Herald. 
ARCHEOLOGY. 
This department is conducted by Joseph 
W iGGLESWORTH, Wilmington, Del., to 
whom all articles pertaining to the subject 
should be addressed. 
PEABODY COLLECTION OF 
RELICS. 
Dr. C. C. Abbott’s collection of stone 
implements of the American Indians in 
the Peabody Museum of Archaeology, 
at Cambridge, Mass., is considered one 
of the most important of the kind ever 
brought together, and one which Archae¬ 
ologists will consult for all times to 
come. It contains more than 20,000 
stone implements, and several hundred 
objects made of bone, clay and copper, 
and w^as gathered almost wholly in the 
neighborhood of Trenton, N. J. 
-o- 
THE WAR POINT' 
I find that many young collectors are 
puzzled over the war-point. When they 
obtain one they do not know what it is, 
and exchange or pass it off as they do 
the more common arrowheads. The 
war-point is a three-cornered arrowhead 
without a shank. The shaft of the 
arrow was split, the war-point inserted 
and then wrapped with the sinews of 
the deer. The first impulse of the per¬ 
son shot was to draw out the shaft,which 
abvays lelt the point to work its way in. 
As poisoned points w^ere used, it can be 
supposed that the wounds always proved 
fatal. The war-points are ol benefit to 
the Archaeologist, as in many cases they 
determine the locality of ancient battle¬ 
fields. Imperfect specimens are quite- 
common, but fine perfect ones are ex¬ 
tremely rare, owing to their being so 
easily broken. 
