But while this may be true, it has always seemed to me that the pitted stones may be made use of in some way as controlling or regulating the apparatus used in drilling. While all the details of such an explanation were never clear, yet it seemed more plausible than the statement that the stone was used as a common nut-cracker. There is another observation to be made which, it seems to me; militates against the theory that it was necessary to work out circular depressions in order to make a nut-cracker. If one will select a flat, smooth slab and place a dozen walnuts upon it, and strike with another flat slab evenly upon these nuts, one finds that they are crushed quite as completely as if placed in the cup-stones proper. The Indians wished the oil rather than the kernels; and preferred the nuts completely crushed. And for all practical purposes in nut-cracking, two flat surfaces are fully as good as a surface which has been cupped. Again, stones having deep pits on their surfaces prevent the crushing of more than half of each nut. If one studies the cup-stones carefully, one will observe that some of the pitted stones are very smooth, others may be rough. In the exact centre of the pits is a small depression. In some instances this depression appears as if it was the result of a revolving object; in other words, a drill. I cannot believe that the cracking of nuts in these depressions would produce the effect just described. [Illustration: FIG. 721. (S. 1–2.) Front and side view of an effigy in stone. Collection of Edward Beatty, Santa Rosa, California. ] CHAPTER XXXV THE STONE AGE IN EASTERN CANADA, UTAH, AND DAKOTA (_Written for “The Stone Age” by Henry Montgomery, Ph.D., University of Toronto_) EASTERN CANADA For the most part throughout Ontario, Quebec, and the more eastern provinces of the Dominion of Canada, the ancient stone and bone and other objects of handiwork of the aborigines are similar or nearly similar to those found in the New England States of the Union. There are, however, some exceptions more or less marked. The history of the seventeenth century tells some interesting things about the aboriginal peoples of this part of Canada. To some extent the location and movements of the Algonquins, Hurons, and Iroquois (“Five Nations”) have become known. But the knowledge of these and of their predecessors in that region is far too limited. Much remains to be learned about the occupation of the country during the preceding centuries. Archæological work appears to have revealed several occupations, and the implements, utensils, and ornaments of different tribes have probably been mixed. Hence, it is often difficult to distinguish them with certainty.