. Guide leaflet. light again until he and his people had long been goneand forgotten. Shell heaps vary from a few inches to four feet in depth, and in area- froma few square yards to several acres — all depending on the length of timethe settlement was occupied and the number of dwellings comprising shell heaps are often divided into layers, the lowest of which are, of SKINNER, INDIANS or MANHATTAN ISLAND 9 course, the oldest. Under and oear most of these deposits may be foundscattered pits or fire holes, which arc bowl-shaped depressions in theground filled with layers of stained eart
. Guide leaflet. light again until he and his people had long been goneand forgotten. Shell heaps vary from a few inches to four feet in depth, and in area- froma few square yards to several acres — all depending on the length of timethe settlement was occupied and the number of dwellings comprising shell heaps are often divided into layers, the lowest of which are, of SKINNER, INDIANS or MANHATTAN ISLAND 9 course, the oldest. Under and oear most of these deposits may be foundscattered pits or fire holes, which arc bowl-shaped depressions in theground filled with layers of stained earth, shells and other refuse, with ansional layer of ashes. Some pits arc as large as ten feel wide by sixfeel deep, bul the average is four feel deep by three feel wide. It is sup-posed that they were used as ovens r steaming holes and afterwards filled upwith refuse Fig. t). Some contain human skeletons, which may have been interred in them during the winter season when grave digging was impossi- ^^r W. FIG 5. MAP GIVING THE LOCATIONS OF SHELL DEPOSITS96 marked -f have been explored by the Museum. ble. Pits as a rule, contain more of interest than the ordinary shell layer. The closely packed regular masses of shells form a covering which tends topreserve hone implements, charred corn and such perishable articles from decay in a way that the looser shells of the general layers fail to do. Shell heap-, while abundant along the seacoast, are seldom found inland,except on salt creeks or other streams having access to salt water. Theymay he Been all along the east shore of the Hudsoo River ;it more or less 10 AM ERIC AX MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLETS frequent intervals up as far as Peekskill, and on Croton Point and betweenXyack and Hook Mountain on the west shore they attain considerable are a few small deposits, however, composed mainly of brook clams(Unio) situated on fresh water lakes in the interior of Westchester ere are many shell heaps on Staten Island. Shell
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnatural, bookyear1901
