194 
THE NATURALISTS' COMPANION. 
Flint Implements. 
BY W. K. MOOKEHEAD, GKANVILLE, O. 
There are pieked up nearly every 
day, by eollectors all over the United 
States, hundreds of implements of var¬ 
ious shapes, sizes and eolors, and of 
dilferent grades of workmanship, all of 
which are chipped from that well known 
material—flint. The material out of 
which these implenients are made was 
probably quarried at Flint Ridge and 
carried from there to the home of the 
savage. This place was a favorite re¬ 
sort for the Ohio Indians, as numer¬ 
ous and deep excavations in the hill¬ 
side will testif}^ The Indians living 
at a great distance probably secured 
flint enough for all purposes in creek 
beds or along some mountain side. 
In all cases after the flint was secur¬ 
ed it was made into rough blocks re¬ 
sembling a large spear head. This 
reduced the size and made it easy to 
be transported to their homes. When 
once there, they could fashion it as 
they chose. (This statement I make 
in regard to their reducing the rough 
flint to blocks, I can prove by the fol¬ 
lowing:—At the famous locality of 
Flint Ridge, Licking Co., Ohio, not 
far from the ‘q^itts” are found spots 
about two hundred feet in diameter 
where the ground is literally covered 
with flint chips. There are also num¬ 
bers of the flint blocks found on these 
spots. The chips prove that the blocks 
were reduced in size there.) 
When once home the Indian gave 
his blocks to ‘dhe village arrow-head 
maker’ who fashioned such imple¬ 
ments as were desired. On the site of 
Indian villages in this State the spot 
where the arrow-head maker's hut 
stood can easily be found by the num¬ 
erous chips, broken and unlinished 
implements which lie about on the 
ground. 
Now that the flint is dug, transported 
and made into implements, let us clas- 
sity these. 
To the average collector there are 
ten general classes of flints. (Under 
each of these there are many subdivis¬ 
ions which space will not permit me to 
give.) 
These ten are:—Arrow-heads, Spear 
heads. Knives, Scrapers, Drills, Lance 
heads. Gun flints. Discs, Celts, and 
Spades. 
Arrow-heads are the most numerous 
kind. They present such a variety of 
forms that a classiflcation is diflicult. 
They ma}^ be divided into the follow¬ 
ing classes:—Triangular, leaf-shaped, 
barbed in top, rotaiy, barbed in side, 
and barbed at base. 
These various forms of arrow-heads 
lead us to think that the smaller and 
sharper ones were used for small game. 
Some were used especially to shoot 
flsh. Some collectors have even gone 
so far as to sa}' that the triangular 
flint was used in war alone. That is 
a very good theory, but it does not 
stand the test as a fact. If an Indian 
was out hunting, with a quiver full of 
arrows, some pointed with triangular 
flints, others with barbed flints, and 
was to see an enemy, would he not 
shoot his ])arbed as soon as his iin- 
barbed points ? 
The great Fort Ancient gives evi¬ 
dence of man}" a battle fought within 
its walls, and thei’e are just as many 
barbed as unbarbed flints found there. 
We cannot, therefore, classify arrow 
points according to use. 
Spear heads are readily distinguish-' 
