STONE IMPLEMENTS. The diversity between the archeology of America and that of Europe cul minates in the classification of stone implements and the definition of culture-stages based on this classification. This diversity arises naturally in the modes of approach, that of America being through observation of primitive customs, and that of Europe through the logic of the civilized mind. On both hemispheres stone implements
are numerous—commonly the most abundant
relics of the prehistoric period; on the Ameri can hemisphere they are still in use, in aboriginal fashion, by a considerable class of the population. Throughout the eastern United States aboriginal arrow-points of stone may be found on nearly every hillside, while larger implements, which may have been used as spear-heads or knives, can be picked up in every township. Usually ranging from flaking and chipping, to battering, grinding, and polishing. Toward the Pacific coast the stone implement types are much the same, though their relative abundance is differ they are rather rudely chipped from quartz,
California tribes noted by Powers make little use of stone for cutting, etc., though they employ natural pebbles, so cleft as to give sharp edges, for certain purposes; while the Seri Indians of Tiburon Island use wave-worn cobbles for break ing up green turtles, large game animals, etc., and gradually reduce them by wear to ,iymmetric form and well-polished condition, yet eschew them with horror if accidentally broken in such a manner as to form sharp edges.
The various types of stone implements, both prehistoric and malern, grade in some respects into implements of shell, tooth, hone, and wood ; and the method of interpretation in terms of primitive thought, affords a means of classifying 1 lie entire series of implements in simple and in struetive fashion. Thus it is found that the lowest peoples give preference to tooth and bone, to chitinous beak and claw, to sharp-edged shell and piscine spine, as material for tool and weapon, and, moreover, that they prefer to use these materials in a manner mimetic of the actual or imputed motions of their zoie tute laries: so that this stage of culture has been re garded as primal, and defined as zoffinimic. it is found also that the somewhat more advanced savages give preference to stone used in natural forms, to which zoie attributes are imputed (as when pebbles are designated as teeth), and grad ually shape and polish these by the wear of use, antecedent design; and this stage of de signless stonework is defined as protolithic. In like manner it is found that the more advanced tribes shape their implements first by a com bination of \year like that of the previous stage, later by battering and chipping, and last of all by flaking, in accordance with preconceived de signs; and the implements so produced, and the culture-stage which they represent, have been defined as technolithie. This classification is set forth elsewhere (MAN, SCIENCE OF) in some de tail; but it is desirable to note that the classi fication is based largely on prehiMorie material, while, conversely, it illumines in useful fashion a considerable part of the course of cultural de velopment on the Western 'Hemisphere.