in numbers the further north one goes in Simcoe County, until one comes on them in large quantities (especially French axes) in the ossuaries and towns noted by the Jesuits.

Though the sites under discussion have not furnished any article, or artifract, denoting European contact, it does not mean that we do not get such in this district; several isolated graves of the Algonquins have yielded such, and occasionally some are found along trails and water courses as surface finds. It forcibly strikes the writer, from known facts, that the Huron nations, drifting westward, separated at some point east of this, presumably at the junction of the Scugog River with the Trent system of waters; the main body following up the Scugog waters-river and lake - then ascending the valleys draining to Scugog Lake on the west side; crossing over the divide, which is not very pronounced, into the drainage basin of Lake Sin.coe, rounding its southern extremity, changed their route north to their last possessions in Ontario; all this route was through a fertile, well-wooded and watered, undulating country. The other branch, at the point of separation, followed the northern route through a more rocky, hilly and less fertile country, bordering on the granitic formation to the north, from which they may have taken their name "Aren darrhonons," or "Rock Nation," as their territory when first visited by the Jesuits was the most north-easterly of the Hurons contiguous to the sterile granite hills; but this may not be so, and their name may have arisen from the fact that they controlled the deposits of Huronian slate, steatite, syenite, etc., in the above formation (Laurentian). Be this as it may, other aboriginal peoples have designated themselves "rock," or "stone," from some reason or other; notably the Oneidas and the Assinaboins, the latter having a branch of their tribe in the Canadian Rocky Mountains called "Stonies." It seems to have been the rule not to have had these villages directly on or near water-courses, but in localities having local features of defence, such as swamps, hills, or approaches through rough country, which were the natural and perhaps the main defensive means. Again, the land is generally better suited for aboriginal cultivation a little distance back from the lakes, than immediately on their shores. Those small sites on the shores are now conceded to be fishing camps and the ends of portages; so we may say that the places for occupation that were chosen were suitable for cultivation nearest to bodies of water, yet not too close to be observed by enemies travelling by water, and not too far away to be inconvenient to the inhabitants.

There is some doubt about the afore-mentioned embankment, but there is no doubt that it is on an aboriginal site, for there are ash-beds between it and a creek several hundreds of

See Hunter's "National Characteristics and Migrations of the Hurons," read before the Canadian Institute, Sept. 25, 1891, and "French Relics from Village Sites of the Hurons," read Nov. 9.1889.

feet to the east of it; though its connection with them may be accidental, for there is a local legend, derived directly from the Indians (Mississagas and Algonquin tribes) occupying the district when the white settlers came in, that French, coming from the west by way of Lake Simcoe, crossed over to this place and fought the Indians, constructing this embankment for defensive purposes. The Indians defeated the French, who buried their dead by the embankment, while the Indians used another place for their dead. There is no doubt that there are two burial places; one immediately north of the embankment, the other being on the summit of a conical hill, sixty feet or so in height, some hundred yards west of the embankment. The writer opened a grave in each. The grave on the hill having a pine stump of large size, three and onehalt feet in diameter, standing over it. If this earthwork was constructed tor defensive purposes, it seems strange that the site selected should be commanded by several high conical hills, titty to seventy-five feet high, within 150 yards. This place has been known to the whites for 107 years, and at that time the edges were more distinct. Length, 220 feet; breadth of ditch and embankment, ten to twelve feet each, height, from bottom of ditch to top of embankment, 21; to 41, feet, showed no traces of supporting palisades on examination by the writer; general direction north and south, but curved out to the west, the ditch being on the outside.

PIPES FROM ONIAKIO,

The preponderance of artifacts on these sites are pottery fragments, and next in order bone articles, including those of teeth and horn, then comes clay pipes, after those, hammerstones, both hand and degraded celts, rubbing stones probably outnumber celts, chisels and go,,es On some sites quantities of stone and pottery discs in all sta; es of manufacture abound Shell articles are very tow, bei g limited to mussel shell scrapers and small shells perforated for suspension. Chipped thint imp.ements are extremely rate all thre gh this section, though an occastoral knife or arrow head is picked up Stone pipes are also rare Mealing stones occur quite

frequently; and what are particularly noticeable are large numbers of spheroidal and ovoidal stones of various sizes, some natural and others artificially shaped, which are found in and. around the ash-beds. Articles of polished slate are extremely rare and are generally knives and gorgets.

Notwithstanding the easy facilities of catching fish, very few fishing implements have been recovered from these sites, and these only comprise several barbed fish hooks of bone, and bone and horn harpoons. The bone harpoons are small affairs with small barbed notches on each side, while horn ones present two varieties; but neither are numerous. One sort having two deep barbes on one side, with a perforated base for attaching a thong. The other kind being a tine of deer's horn, sharpened at the point, with a hollowed base socket for inserting a shaft; the sides being produced to a barb, on each side of the shaft; then a hole is completely pierced through the implement, about one-third of its way up, either for a pin to firmly fasten the head to a shaft, or for an attached line, Esquimaux fashion; a transverse section of this harpoon is oval or round. The hollow socket, for inserting a shaft, is also observed in horn arrow-heads.

The long, one-barbed, square-based harpoons, occurring in western Ontario and south of Lakes Erie and Ontario, have not been noticed here as yet, as neither have the notched stone sinkers, or the elaborate permanent fish weirs and traps noted in other places. Though there are fish stakes occasionally recovered from the "narrows," between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching, where Champlain halted with his Huron warriors for a few days, to replenish his stores with fish for their warlike journey against the Iroquois. The Jesuits mention frequently the dependence placed on dried fish for food, the descriptions of fish, and the manner of taking them by nets. and through the ice; also the peculiar customs indulged in, such as the marriage of the nets to virgins, offerings of tobacco to propitiate the gods of the water, and such like. Without doubt the people that we are dealing with used the same methods, and would depend on the "runs" of fish in the different seasons to lay by a large stock of food.

eighth inches broad and three-eighth inch thick. It is leaf shaped, of slender-pattern material, and of a dark grey, translucent, quartz-like material; the other implement is eleven and one-half inches long, of chertz limestone, and shows signs of digging, for the ridges between the flakes are worn down slightly. This one is thicker in proportion than the former, but has the long, leaf shape, being more ovate; both come from near each other. The latter being in the James Dickson collectior, Ontario Archæological Museum.

MONITOR PIPES.

EDITOR OF THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN:

Dear Sir,-Referring to the article on "Mound Pipes" in the January-February number of THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN, it

MONITOR PIPE.

may be of interest to note that, while Mr. Boyle claims there are no Monitor pipes in Canada, they have been found not far from there. My brother has in our collection at Niagara Falls, N. Y., a Monitor pipe (see cut), which was found on the Vogt farm at Niagara Falls. The material is grayish stone; fine texture, well-wrought, and highlypolished. One end of the base shows where it was broken while drilling the stem-hole; the workman then commenced at the other end, with better success.

In April, 1885, while Mr. Vogt was clearing a portion of his farm, he uprooted a white oak stump, which measured thirty inches in diameter at the point where severed from the trunk. The pipe was found eighteen inches below the surface and underneath the stump. Yours truly, W. J. MACKAY.

A PECULIAR RELIC.

EDITOR OF THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN:

Dear Sir, Dr. Frederick H. William's paper "Prehistoric Remains of the Tunxis Val

ley," published in the American Archaeologist, gives a cut (Fig. 37, page 203) in the August number, 1898, of a peculiar relic of prehistoric workmanship, which I think should receive further notice. Dr. Williams was the first (so far as I am aware) to bring this beautiful and almost unique relic to the notice of archaeologists. In my cabinet I have an almost exact duplicate, and singularly enough, it was found in the

A PECULIAR RELIC.

same county (Hartford County, Conn.), exact locality not known, about 1854, and has been in my possession over forty

two years. I enclose a drawing "(see cut), front view and cross-section, respectively; size of nature. It is, apparently, made from a dark-colored, hard, and fine-grained sand-stone, with edges nicely rounded, and a well-marked groove between the circular part and the main section, as seen in the cross section. The back is slightly convex, as is the center of the circular front. It is of fine workmanship, nearly symetrical, and has the appearance of a greasy polish over almost the whole surface.

I enclosed drawings of my specimen, with full description, to Dr. Williams, and in reply he says: "Your picture is almost a perfect representative of my relic; so much so that, had I lost mine, I should have thought that you had it. It is almost exactly the same size. Mine appears to be sand-stone; but the polish is so perfect that I am not sure. I dislike to mar the beauty of it by cutting into it, to ascertain its real nature.

It would be interesting to know when, by whom, and for what purpose they were made; but it is perhaps fruitless to inquire. We may, however, learn if they have been found in any other part of the world, or are confined to the Connecticut valley and, perhaps, to Hartford County.

My relic came from a small collection in Hampshire County, Mass., in 1857, that was said to contain a duplicate; but, besides Dr. William's relic, I know of no others. Suspended upon the breast by a cord passing around the neck and fastened in the groove, it would have made a fine ornament, or a badge of distinction. Was it so used? Was it a charm, or had it a religious significance? Who can tell? W. A. CHAPMAN.

Irvinsburg, Ohio.

CONTINUITY OF THE PALEOLITHIC AGE.

THE French and Belgian archæologists are divided as to the separation of Paleolithic from the Neolithic periods. Mortillet and Cartailhac have asserted that a great break exists, while Quatrefages, Dupont, Joly, and others maintain that they were continuous.

The evidence on this point may be classed under three heads: 1st, that which testifies to the geological changes; 2nd, that which relates to extinct animals; 3rd, that which depends upon the shape of the relics.

As to the first Prof. Prestwitch maintains that there was a period of submergence between the two ages which possibly corresponded with the deluge, or gave rise to the tradition of the deluge. As to the second point, ncarly all geologists claim that there must have been a change of climate, for the bones of the reindeer are found in the cave deposits above the remains of the tropical animals, such aa the rhinoceros, hippo.