llic jYatLiralUts^ Couiycudon. 70 
rested on ii forked twig. The birds 
eoinpleted their eluteh on the 29th of 
June with three eggs, of which I luive 
one tine specimen, Thev did not seem 
to miss the egg, and in about two weeks 
tliey had two downy young birds to 
care for. Had 1 left the thii-d egg I 
hardly know where they would have 
ke[)t the young bird, as tho two com¬ 
pletely tilled the nest. They soon leaiui- 
ed to fly, and left nearly as soon as they 
knew how, but the parents lingered un¬ 
til after the first snow storm (Nov. 7.), 
when they left tor their sunny home in 
the South, thus making a stay of nearly 
live months. 
The Stone Age in New York. 
There is one peculiarity in the Indi¬ 
an relics of New York that impresses 
the general collector at once, east, west 
and south of central and western New 
York groved axes are abundant. In 
the ancient territory of the Iroquois, 
they are scarcely evej‘ found; [)erhaps 
never on village sites. I have examin¬ 
ed a great many of their sites, some of 
which would be assigned to other na¬ 
tions, and the absence of this imple¬ 
ment is everywhere conspicuous. It 
seems to be an Algonquin implement, 
never used by the Iriquois, or by their 
kindred. 
This is a general feature of the sites 
from Albany to the-Genesee river, and 
[)robably to Lake Erie, and seems to 
pi-ove that all the early inhabitants 
were of the same general stock. Some 
used soapstone vessels, but not brown 
pottery. Others used brown pottery 
but not soapstone, the two never occur- 
ing together. Some had drills and 
scrapers in abundance: others lacked 
these entirely. I never have found 
them i n enclosures. Other distinctions 
might be mentioned which serve for 
classification. 
The fre(iuency with which bird totin- 
es and stone tubes are found, is a mat¬ 
ter of interest, but these and copper 
implements seldom appear on village 
sites. If used, they weie seldom lost 
on the spot. The perforated gorgets 
are more frequent in such places, and 
are of a great variety of forms and ma¬ 
terial. On the distinctly Iroquois sites 
articles of bone and horn are oftner met 
with than on the earlier ones, where 
for some 1 ‘easonthey are compai’atively 
rare. 
It is a curious fact that shell beads 
are not found hereon pre-historic sites, 
showing that the early inhabitants had 
not reached the seashore, or conquered 
any of its inhabitants. On the other 
hand the polished slate arrows, or rath¬ 
er arrow shaped knives, are quite local 
in their use. 
Other things might be mentioned to 
draw the distinct position that this re¬ 
gion occupies in the arc Ideological held, 
as unique in many ways as the Iri¬ 
quois nation were among the surround¬ 
ing Algonquins. Here have been found 
the only barbed hsh hooks of bone or 
horn, and many other articles are as 
rare. It is fortunate that the held is 
now being thoi'oughly worked, with ex¬ 
cellent results.—W. M. Beauchamp in 
Hoosier Mineralogist and Arcfmologist. 
^Ir. H. M. Downs, of Rutland, Vt., 
has our thanks fora copy of his “Field 
Notes on North American Birds.” 
This is a neat little book of one hun¬ 
dred blank pages, to be carried in the 
pocket, and is very convenient to take 
notes on when in the held. Brice only 
30 cents. 
