Suitable stone seems to have been scarce in the Mandan country, and the natives made use of the shoulder blades, ribs, and other heavy bones of buffalo, elk, and deer for various purposes, and these strong bones served them quite as well as would stone. An inspection of the illustrations of various Mandan objects will acquaint readers with the wealth of material secured by Mr. Steinbrueck. I call particular attention to Figs. 550 to 555. In Fig. 550 are shown heavy bone handles in which were inserted small stone celts employed as scraping- and cutting-tools. This type was common on the Plains and has been described by Professor Mason and others. The handle is so strong that it would last almost a lifetime, and the Indian women needed but to sharpen the inserted celt, rather than to make a new handle. [Illustration: FIG. 555. (S. 1–5.) This presents a bone hairpin, a fish-hook, a flute and harpoon, two bone celts, a perforated antler of an elk, and a long bone partially cut into bits, all of which were found in the graves at Madisonville, Ohio. Peabody Museum collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts. ] The figure of the bone celts (551) shows that nearly all of them were hollowed after the manner of Eastern stone gouges. The second specimen from the top is highly polished on the edge and there are eight places where notches have been worn into the bone. Similar wearing is noticed on the lower specimens. The Mandans raised much corn, beans, and squashes, and the large shoulder blades of the buffalo and elk were made use of by these Indians as spades and hoes. There are more than one hundred of them in our collection. [Illustration: FIG. 556. (S. 1–2.) Mandan bone ornaments. ] Mr. Steinbrueck, at my request, wrote me at considerable length and sent me several books of field-notes. Particularly interesting are his descriptions of objects shown in Figs. 552, 552 _A_, and 553. I quote from his letter:— “After a number of years of continuous researches in the ancient Indian village-sites on or about the Heart River and along the Missouri River, I have gradually learned to read the purpose, the use, and also, in some instances, the manufacture of certain horn and bone implements and ornaments of the Mandan Indians.” It would appear that the late J. V. Brower and Rev. G. L. Wilson and Mr. Steinbrueck made explorations in common during several seasons.