Comments, Notes and Reviews. 531
dead. A chart was shown delineating the
bundled bones of Indians at the
surface of the ground at Mille Lacs,
with mounds of earth built over
them.
James W. Lynd, historian of the Sioux
nation, was quoted show-
ing that the Dakota people were at Mille
Laces at a very ancient period;
in fact, so long ago that no tradition
remained to show where they came
from or how long they had been there.
No trace of two distinct classes of
stone implements and earthen
pots had been found at Mille Lacs, and
the only island in the region
where the Sioux had a village, to which
Hennepin was taken in 1680, is
overspread with broken clay vessels and
stone implements.
PRE-HISTORIC BILL OF FARE.
A recent number of Chamber's Journal has
an interesting article
concerning what might be styled the menu
of the pre-historic man. The
article says:
Our attention has recently been called
to some curious experiments
conducted some time ago by Mr. Charters
White, M. R. C. S., lately
the president of the Royal Odontological
Society of Great Britain. Upon
examining some skulls dating back from
the stone age, he noted that
several of the teeth, although quite
free from caries, were thickly coated
with tartar. It occurred to him that it
would be possible by a rough ana-
lysis to identify any particles of food
that might be embodied in this nat-
ural concrete, and so reveal the
character of the aliment partaken of by
pre-historic man. Dissolving the tartar
in weak acid, a residue was left
which, under the microscope, was found
to consist of corn husks,
particles, hairs from the outside of the
husks, spiral vessels from
vegetables, particles of starch, the
point of a fish tooth, a con-
glomeration of oval cells, probably of
fruit, the barblets of down and
portions of wool. In addition to this
varied list were some round, red
bodies, the origin of which defied
detection, and many sandy particles,
some relating to quartz and some to
flint. These mineral fragments were
very likely attributable to the rough
stones used in grinding the corn,
and would account for the erosion of the
masticating surfaces, which in
many cases was strongly marked. This
inquiry into food of men who
lived not less than 4,000 years ago is a
matter of archeological interest.
OHIO PRESIDENTS.
The inauguration of William McKinley on
March 4th and the death
of Benjamin Harrison, on March 14th
leads to the inquiry from several
quarters concerning the date and place
of birth of the so-called "Ohio
Presidents."
We give them in order of their
succession: