6 4 
THE MUSEUM. 
^wtolagy. 
Mr. S. L. Frey, of Palatine Bridge, N. Y., 
found in an Indian grave in Montgomery 
Co., some time ago, a curious vessel, which 
had evidently been traded to the Indians by 
one of the early Dutch settlers, probably 
during the seventeenth century. 
It is a gray, stone ware, salt-glazed jug, 
probably Grts de Flandre , with decoration 
—lions, rosettes, etc.—in 
relief, and outlined with 
bright cobalt blue. The 
form of the vessel, with 
the ornamentation, is un¬ 
usual for this kind of 
ware. In quality it is similar to the “ Fulham ” 
jug or “gray-beard” figured in the June 
Museum. The accompanying engraving, re¬ 
duced, will convey a good idea of the shape 
of Mr. Frey’s vessel, which measures about 
five inches in height. 
Scrapers.—A scraper is a piece of worked 
stone, flat on one side, and beveled from the 
other surface by chipping. Aside from this, 
it may be of almost any size or form. The 
usual material is flint, hornstone, or jasper, but 
the form and size vary greatly. A very com¬ 
mon kind may have been made from broken 
bases of barbed arrow-heads, although, in 
many cases, this form of scraper seems to 
have been designed from the first. In this 
the edge is a crescent, the barbs forming the 
points. Some of these, however, are identi¬ 
cal in outline with the arrows called bunts. 
Another frequent form is leaf-shaped, finely 
chipped, and might be classed as a knife, but 
the broad end is a characteristic scraper. By 
no means rare is a massive kind, of a horse¬ 
shoe outline when'laid down, but thickest 
toward the broad part. These are some¬ 
times quite large. Then there is a class quite 
rare in collections, of which I have seen scarce¬ 
ly half a dozen examples. It may be called 
a sickle form, but the inner curve is thickened, 
and is the scraper edge. It would seem that 
these were used on wood, or perhaps sinews, 
not being fit for hides. 
A good many examples of another kind 
occur, which at first seem large and long 
knives, and may have been used as such. 
Yet they have the characteristic single flake 
on one surface, and the beveled edge on thq 
other. They are comparatively narrow, and 
being several inches long, they are generally 
curved, and often twisted. The ends are 
rounded, or very slightly pointed, the long 
edge apparently having been used. 
One unique specimen I picked up three 
years ago. It is of dark green jasper, about 
two inches long, not very thick, and broadly 
flaked, except at the edges. The form might 
be called leaf-shaped, but the broad end has 
an angle in the centre, and a projection on 
each side. The small end is rounded and 
notched on either side, as though for suspen¬ 
sion, or fastening by a cord. The thickness 
is quite uniform longitudinally. I have seen 
none like it. 
Circular and elliptical scrapers occur, and I 
have one that is cruciform in a massive way. 
Another has a scraper base, but the long and 
slender form of a drill. Many are decidedly 
arrow-shaped, and some are very small. 
There is one curious circumstance about 
these articles; I have never yet found them 
on those enclosed sites, whether .earthworks 
or stockades, where I have gathered hundreds 
of other relics. The same thing is true of 
the flint drills so widely distributed, of soap¬ 
stone articles, and other things. As these 
sites occur almost side by side, differences in 
age or nationality would.seem probable rea¬ 
sons for this. 
I have said nothing of the use of scrapers. 
The common understanding is that they were 
placed in handles, as by the Esquimaux now, 
and used in scraping hides. Perhaps this is 
true of some, but it would have been slow 
work with those less than an inch long, and 
not much more than half that width. The 
sickle forms, which are sometimes more like 
little cimeters in outline, might have been 
used in making lances or arrow-shafts. In 
any case they could only have been applied 
to a curving surface. 
Young collectors will do well to pay more 
