To overlook and protect the important oyster-beds of this wide portion of the river, the fort upon Van Cortlandt's neck was erected. It is an interesting fact that where these shells have remained undisturbed they are nearly all found whole, showing that the Indians opened the oysters without breaking them. It was probably accomplished by exposure to the sun. None of them have been exposed to flre. A remarkable number and variety of stone implements have been found here, and here a place of burial has been recently discovered.

But the aboriginal inhabitants of Westchester did not depend alone upon the food derived from the chase and taken from the waters. They cultivated the land much more extensively than is generally supposed. The European navigators of the Hudson were impressed by the extent of the fields of maize. Suitable lands along the Sound were similarly used, and throughout the interior the early white settlers found their difiiculties greatly lessened by the extent of the lands already cleared and prepared for their immediate use.

The Indian's success in the cultivation of land wa« remarkable, when we consider the disadvantages under which he labored. It must be remembered that he had taught no animal to assist him in his labor. He had no flock or herd, nor any kind of poultry. His dog was a worthless creature, resembling a cross between the fox and the w-olf, and was only the lazy sharer of his cabin or the playmate of his children, and was not trained to usefulness in the chase. He had no iron nor any other metal, except rare spec-