Volume Number 9 Issue Number 1 Summer 2011
THE AACA MAGAZINE
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
www.theaaca.com
Volume Number 8 Issue Number 2 Winter 2010
Table of Contents From the President’s Desk Pg 1 From the Editor’s Desk Pg 2 Arrowhead Hunting in Southwest Missouri Pg 3-4 How Do You Pronounce In Situ?! Pg 5 IN SITUS Pg 6-18 Chance Pg 19-21 Crystal Skulls Pg 22 Members’ Favorite Artifacts Pg 23-32 The Plummet That Wuzzunt Pg 33 Critter Gallery Pg 34-38
On the Cover Editor Steve Stangland Design & Layout by Robert J Dills
Richard Thompson points to another fabulous creek find in Greene Co., Missouri
From the President’s Desk
We hope that all AACA members have had a productive spring while adding to their artifact collections. The weather has been too wet in some regions while staying bone-dry in others, making for sporadic finds for many hunters. The weak economy has resulted in many collections coming to the artifact market, so buyers have great choices at auction and through private sales. Prices have still remained strong for the rarest and highest grades of relics.
The AACA Expo in Ft. Mitchell Kentucky was held in April, with good attendance despite the change of date. A great time was had by all who attended. We are looking at returning in the second week of July of 2012, so watch for the notices. The Piedmont, NC Chapter of the AACA has been very active, sponsoring two Archaeology Day events every year in central North Carolina. These regional events are free to the public, and are full of good knowledge through the experienced collectors that display, and through the noted archaeological speakers. Events such as Expo and Archaeology Day are not only fun, but they provide educational opportunities for collectors. Consider sponsoring an event- no matter how smallin your region. The AACA will assist you with advance planning and advertising if you need help.
Finally, if you are reading this Magazine, consider writing your own articles to submit to our editor. As my friend John Crowley often said, "Write your page in history.�
Cliff Jackson
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From the Editor’s Desk
Once again, Kudos to Matt Patstone of Valley Center, California for his consistent and considerable contributions to the AACA Magazine. He has numerous entries in the in situ section and in the Critter Gallery. A special thanks also to a number of our readers who have made contributions once again for this issue. One of our most critical needs is for what I call the “mom and pop” type of artifact story. That is to say, an article personally written that describes a member’s artifact hunt or other artifactrelated adventure. A perfect example is this issue’s article entitled “Arrowhead Hunting in Southwest Missouri” by member Gary Henson. If you are thinking…… “Well, I can express myself pretty well, but my grammar is not that great.” Don’t worry about it! I will clean up those problems for you, but will retain the “flavor” and style of your story. Don’t be bashful. Here is a copy my email addy: sstangland@cox.net. Now, about the picture of the clay effigy. Because it is such a rare and unique find for my hunting area (Southern California), I wanted to share it with readers. So far, it is my most interesting discovery of 2011, found on March 30 after a rain. It is almost something you would expect to be of Mexican or Mesoamerican origin. There is no in situ because I thought I was flipping the edge of a small pottery shard and this thing popped out of the soil. It’s not large…. a mere 1 5/16 inches in height. What is it? Most people believe it to be a bird effigy, but there are other possibilities. Why is there a hole? I’ll leave that to the readers’ conjecture. As you have often heard…. “If only artifacts could talk!” Steve Stangland - AACA Editor
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Arrowhead Hunting in Southwest Missouri By Gary Henson I live in Poway, California, near San Diego and make at least two trips to Missouri each year to visit my family and friends. While there the last two weeks of April, there was an unusual amount of heavy rain which caused flooding and enabled me to hunt one of my favorite fields in Lawrence County with more success than ever before. I arrived Sunday, April 17, and my high-school friend and third generation arrowhead-hunter Karl and I began looking for points the next day. We checked some fields we had hunted in the past losing valuable time because they hadn’t been plowed yet. We arrived at a favorite field late in the day. The ground had been turned over several weeks previous and I felt confident of success, though we were soon run off by lightning strikes and heavy rain as a storm rolled in. Since rain was threatening later in the week, I floated Shoal Creek in Newton County on Tuesday with another friend, Jerry. We caught many nice fish - catch and release - since bass fishing is closed on streams this time of year. I checked a bank where I had found a broken point last year and found two points, one a nice point with only slight damage. On Wednesday my friend Karl picked me up early in the afternoon to go and try our luck again. However, this time the field was covered with chicken manure and smelled so bad you couldn't get close to it because of the overpowering stench. Karl commented that the point I had found on the creek bank might likely be my only good find of the trip because most farmers hadn’t plowed their fields yet. But it began raining on Thursday and rained continuously until Tuesday morning - as much as twelve inches in some SW Missouri counties. Then Tuesday, April 26, there was a break in the rain and Karl called me after he got off work around 4:00 p.m. I grabbed my rubber boots and we headed out, arriving around 5:30 p.m. Spring River had run its banks and flooded the field, washing away topsoil all the way down to the plow zone. The field had been chisel-plowed prior to the fertilizer being disked in. I estimated that a foot and a half of topsoil was gone in many places. In about two hours I found four very nice points (including Artifacts #1 and #2). Artifact # 1 in situ
Artifact # 2 in situ
Artifact # 2
One of the points was particularly nice with beautiful symmetry and a needle tip, except that it had a barb freshly nicked off by farm machinery. At first I thought the base was also broken, but it was the outer cortex of the stone and was undamaged on the base (Artifact # 2). PG 3
Another array of thunderheads rolled in around dusk and I began saying my prayers that we would not be struck. Karl had just remarked that the lightning was up in the sky going horizontally and we had nothing to worry about……. when a bolt struck the ground nearby and it began to pour rain sending us for cover. Tuesday night I lay in bed dreaming about finding points until 1:00 a.m., when I finally fell asleep. I got up at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday and headed out to the field. Within an hour I found a very small corner-notched “Sequoyah” (Artifact # 3). Later in the day I came across a very nice grinding stone or “mano” as they are called in California (Artifact # 4). Karl joined me after work and we hunted until dark, finding many nice points including several true arrow points. Wednesday night I was exhausted after looking all day, but thought to myself, “This kind of opportunity doesn’t come around very often.” Artifact #4 On Thursday, I looked from 1:00 Artifact #3 p.m. until dark. Karl again joined me after work. He picked up several nice “bird points” and I found a couple decent points with only slight damage. We were walking back to the truck when I spotted a beautiful little true arrow point of red material about an inch long with perfect symmetry – one of my best personal finds ever! (Artifact # 5).
Friday, Karl picked me up after work and we hunted from 4:30 p.m. until nearly dark. About an hour after we had been hunting the field, Karl let out a loud WOO-HOOooooo and called me over. I could see why he was so excited. The point had beautiful symmetry and was about three and a half inches long (Artifact # 6). In all, Karl found three excellent points on Friday. I came up empty handed except for the proverbial bucket full of broken ones!
Artifact #5
Since Saturday was my last day in Missouri, I talked Karl into picking me up at 7:00 a.m. so that we could have time to explore other fields along Spring River. We ended up on what turned out to be a "wild goose chase" in three different fields finding a few broken and field grade artifacts. I did however find an old horse or mule shoe which proved to be an omen of success. Late in the afternoon when we were about to give up, I was the one who let out a WOO-HOOooooo!!! I re-looked an area and discovered another beautiful little true arrow point. I had walked past it three or four times! It is made of a shiny pink and orange striped material and is near perfect in symmetry (Artifact # 7). Karl had given up and had headed back to the truck. I walked over and told him we needed to go to Walmart. When he asked why, I jokingly told him, “To get flashlights and a six-pack of energy drinks.” Artifact #6
Artifact #7
I feel truly blessed to have found so many nice points and I am looking forward to October when I plan on spending another two weeks in the great state of Missouri! PG 4
How Do You Pronounce In Situ?! From the Desk of the Editor
It seems that every time I speak with someone who tells me about their latest in situ find, they pronounce in situ a different way. Bearing in mind that we do not have the correct dictionary pronunciation symbols, below are some of the ways it is sometimes pronounced, sometimes accented on the second syllable, sometimes on the last: In site chew In see chew In sit chew In site too In sit too In see too …and so forth. You may have heard others. Now, what is the CORRECT pronunciation of the word? Without consulting Mr. Webster, in December of 2010 your editor made several phone calls to professional archaeological firms in the San Diego area and asked to speak with an archaeologist. The editor spoke with Affinis Company in El Cajon and with Statistical Research, Inc. in San Diego. Both archaeologists with whom I spoke said that they pronounced it only one way and that this is how it was pronounced by all of their associates. Additionally, since the word derives from Latin, I also checked with a highly respected English and Latin teacher who works for San Diego Unified School District. All three individuals gave the following pronunciation: In see too - with the second syllable being accented. Also, technically, the word should be italicized (a pain in the rear, so I generally don’t do it). Interestingly, the hardback Webster dictionary that I finally consulted gave the preferred pronunciation as insite-too, and the second pronunciation as in-sit-too, neither of which was given by any of our three “experts.” The online Webster’s dictionary varied a bit from those pronunciations. So what’s a person to do?! Well, evidently whatever you are comfortable with. But for myself, being a bit of a purist in regard to language, I’m going to stick with what the Latin teacher said….which is also what the archies said.
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IN SITUS Webster defines in situ as “in the original position.” Many of the following artifacts are shown as the collector found them lying in the ground in situ. Send the Editor your recent in situ pictures. If of good quality, the AACA Online Magazine will publish them!
Matt Patstone CALIFORNIA
Matt Patstone of Southern California (I call him “Ol’ Reliable” because he is the most consistent and productive contributor to our In Situ section) had this to say about this point: “My brother Derrick, three of our boys and I went out to the desert yesterday Aug. 28, 2010, in the afternoon and here's what my brother found with me standing right next to him. It was kind of ironic because I was just telling him if he finds anything "NOT" to touch it until I take a picture of it, and just about that time he says "like that in situ," pointing down at a barely exposed side-notched point. He also found a tiny 1/8 inch shell bead.”
This point was found on Saturday, December 4, 2010, by Matt Patstone’s friend, Dale Boettcher. It was found in Southern California mountain foothill terrain.
An excellent mano found by Matt Patstone on May 9, 2011, in a Southern California desert.
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Matt Patstone scores again! But this find has a little “twist” to it. Here is what Matt says about this January, 2011 mortar find: “I met this old timer from Starbucks and I would always share my new finds with him. He told me quite a while ago he had a metate on his property that he found while clearing his property for his flower business. He never picked it up or moved it; he wanted me to be the one who picked it up for the first time. It was on the side of a mountain, down a small ravine below a rocky outcrop. I looked around for chipping waste, but I didn't see anything...too overgrown. The mortar now resides in my front yard.” Editor’s note: In case you are wondering about the grass that looks like a lawn area: The “old timer” had cleared the area of native sage, exposing the long-hidden mortar, and allowing grass and weeds to grow.
All plucked from Southern California desert soil in December of 2010 by Matt Patstone PG 7
Found in a San Diego wooded meadow by Matt Patstone on April 28, 2011. Patination galore!
Another Matt Patstone find plucked from the desert sand in late May of 2011. This point demonstrates how points can sometimes be found after a good “blow.�
Steve Stangland CALIFORNIA
Found by Editor Stangland on December 3, 2010, lying flat out on the edge on a large ant nest. Look closely and you will see two of the nasty little critters. While carefully taking the in situ, a bunch of them started crawling up my pants! PG 8
Steve Valentine OHIO
“Okay boy and girls, here's the Clovis I found on March 3, 2010, at approximately 4:30 pm. It is really nice and the first whole one I've ever found. It is 2 inches long exactly, 3/4 inch wide, and fluted 1/2 inch on each face and nicely ground on the base. I believe it's a Coshocton material since it’s a bluish flint with white and black splotches. To say I'm one happy camper is an understatement at best.” Steve Valentine PG 9
In 2010 Steve Valentine found this Effigy Pipe near a Ft Ancient village site. He found it down the hill from the actual site. Years ago a bunch of trees were bulldozed over the side of the hill and he still finds artifacts there at times. Steve says “I believe it is a phallic effigy since when you turn it upside-down it looks just like a small penis.� From Clay Township, Scioto County, Ohio.
More finds of Steve Valentine from Clay Township, Scioto County, Ohio. From the same Ft. Ancient village site as the pipe seen above. PG 10
Steve Valentine has this to say about this fine piece: “I found this in a field I used to hunt all the time years ago that always produced very well. About 10 years ago the property was bought and apartments were put on one end and the other end was left to grow up in weeds. They went through later and bush-hogged the weeds, exposing some bare spots, so I decided to walk through and try my luck. I found this blade within an hour. It is made from very high quality Zaleski Flint and is beveled on both faces. It is most likely a Cobbs Blade.�
Although not obvious from the scan, this Ohio river bank point was found by Steve Valentine in about 4 inches of water approximately a foot from the shore.
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Jim Bennett OHIO
This nice Flint Ridge Archaic stemmed point was found by AACA founder Jim Bennett in Ashland County, Ohio. It is made from heavily patinated, highly translucent Flint Ridge flint.
Ian Neil MISSOURI
Here’s a super nice Scottsbluff and the story that came with it: “This is from a little corn field hunt from April 28, 2010 here in Southwest Missouri. They had just turned the field the day before. My buddy and I had set out during a small supercell and we had to sit in the truck for about 30 minutes until the storm passed. It wasn't more than about 10-15 minutes into the field that I came across this very rare Scottsbluff type II, measuring 2 5/8 inches long. It was my best find of 2010.” Ian Neal PG 12
Joshua Hudson MISSOURI
In March of 2011, Joshua Hudson of Festus, Missouri, found this near Joachim Creek in Jefferson County.
Another nice find by Joshua Hudson‌.a nice rhyolite blade found in a creek in Jefferson County, Missouri, in the summer of 2010.
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Richard Thompson MISSOURI
Richard Thompson of Morrisville, Missouri, says ….. “This is an excellent, 2 7/8" Dalton that I found in the Sac River on January 26, 2010, in Polk Co., Mo., right after a good flood. It is thin, well made and of highly desirable translucent Mozarkite, and in great condition for a creek find!”
All of the points in this frame were found by one person in one creek in Dallas County, Missouri, over a period of about eight years. The large blade at bottom center is 6" long. The majority of these are made of Mozarkite chert. If you haven’t guessed by now, the dedicated finder was Richard Thompson.
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Richard Thompson tells about another fabulous find: �This is one of my favorite personal finds. Found in a creek in Greene Co., Missouri on March 21, 2008. It's a 4 15/16", very thin and well made Pike County type Dalton. I was hunting with my buddy Sean, and he had just walked past it when I saw it lying under a downed Thorn Locust tree. It was laid out like a salmon swimming upstream.� PG 15
Steve May TEXAS
In May of 2010, Steve May found this museum quality blade near San Antonio Bay in Aransas County, Texas.
Steve May found this Motley (or Kings?) near St. Charles Bay, Texas, on February 10, 2010.
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Look closely at the in situ and you will see two cow tracks right on the point. But finder Steve May got lucky because there was no damage. Steve thinks this is an Early Stemmed point. In May of 2009, he found it on Cavaso Creek‌..which runs into Saint Charles Bay in Texas.
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Chuck Rosenbaum TEXAS
This point was found by Chuck Rosenbaum in Bastrop County, Texas, on a screen dig along the Colorado River in March of 2008. Chuck says the following in regard to this artifact: “I sent it to Dwain Rogers and he called it an early archaic stemmed point from the Hoxie period. The base is ground. It is older than a Perd and there is grinding on the stem.� Chuck Rosenbaum
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Editor’s Note: One of our occasional contributors from Maryland recently sent me some pictures of deer as possible submissions for the “Critter Gallery.” One of the deer was a cute little fawn with very unique coloring and markings. I emailed back asking whether the deer was an exotic species. The answer I got was very interesting……interesting enough that I decided to make a separate article from it. Now you may ask, “Why do you want a separate article on a deer in an Indian artifact publication?” Well, there are two good reasons: 1) Most collectors are often surrounded by mother nature while hunting artifacts, and seeing deer is a fairly common occurrence. I would say that for every three times that I hunt for points, I am treated to the sight of one or more deer, and I don’t even live in what many of you would consider a “deerrich” area. 2) The deer and Native American culture were, and still are, closely intertwined. At any rate, I wanted our readers to enjoy the story of “Chance” as much as I did when our contributor from Maryland sent me this information. He lives on a farm in Maryland and is blessed in that the farm has a lot of open space with an abundance of wild critters…in particular, deer. It is imperative that this gorgeous little creature be protected. For that reason, our contributor shall remain anonymous. Here are his own words of the story of “Chance.”
“CHANCE”
Chance as a two-day-old fawn Chance was one of triplets born this past June 3, 2010, here on my farm. He had foot issues when born and could not stand or support himself as his front feet turned under and he had to try to walk on his ankles. His mother took the other two fawns and abandoned him. My wife and I rescued him from certain death, raised him by bottle, and after 10 days of my giving his feet therapy they got much better and are now fine! We have since re-introduced him into the wild here on our farm. He is now six months old and doing great! He hangs with a half dozen doe and seems quite happy and content to be "a deer.” We see him almost every day. He is ALL BUCK….very secretive and hides and does not like strangers, etc. The neighboring farms know about him and have agreed not to shoot him; in fact one adjoining farm had their OWN near all-white fawn last spring. He is a Whitetail and his two siblings were normal color. Oh - "Chance." My wife named him that as in gave him his "chance" at living! PG 19
Chance at 10 days old - Notice his turned-in foot!
Chance in late February this year (above pic). No longer a fawn, the owner of the farm says “Now, it seems whenever we see him run out of a field with his does….he is always the LEADER with his tail up and theirs down.” As of late May of 2011, our anonymous contributor added the following update: “Chance is now celebrating his one year birthday and is doing great. He sometimes comes to the house for fresh strawberries and a little bowl of corn that my wife hand feeds him. He looks great and is only "friendly" to her and somewhat with me. I never knew deer had “personality,” but he sure does. I was about done with deer hunting anyway and he has cemented that. I have now sold off all my deer hunting equipment!” PG 20
July 2011 Update on Chance - Above is our latest picture of Chance, now a "four-pointer," celebrating Independence Day with a healthy snack!
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Crystal Skulls – Hocus Pocus…… or Real? Crystal skulls have undergone serious scholarly scrutiny, but they also excite the popular imagination because they seem so mysterious. Some believe the skulls are the handiwork of the Maya or Aztecs; they even become the subject of discussion on occult websites. Some insist that they originated on a sunken continent or in a far away galaxy. And in 2008 they became archaeological superstars, thanks to Indiana Jones and his movie Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Not a single crystal skull in a museum collection comes from a documented archaeological excavation. Furthermore, they have little stylistic or technical relationship with genuine pre-Columbian depictions of skulls, an important motif in Mesoamerican art. Crystal skulls began entering museum collections during the mid-1800’s. During this time there was a boom in “relic shops” in Mexico City, where fake artifacts were sold to collectors and tourists. The first Mexican crystal skulls were small, only about an inch high. Many have vertical drill holes and originally may have been legitimate crystal beads later carved into the shape of skulls for the curio market. The first life-size crystal skull surfaced in 1881 in a Paris shop. After appearing in Mexico, then New York, this skull was purchased by the British Museum for $950. In 1934 a nearly identical crystal skull was purchased by a London art dealer. A decade later, it was sold by Sotheby’s in London to Arthur MitchellHedges, a rich British explorer, who attributed it to the Maya. His daughter cared for it for 60 years until her death. Ten nieces and nephews laid claim to it. Known as the “Skull of Doom,” it is said to have crashed computer hard drives! In 1992 the Smithsonian received a heavy package containing an eerie, milky-white crystal skull. An unsigned letter said it was Aztec and had belonged to former Mexican president Porfirio Diaz. This led to research on other crystal skulls, which when examined by scanning electon microscopy, revealed traces of modern rotary tool marks. Aztecs and Mayas used wood, stone, bone, and copper tools with abrasive sand to carve stone. Crystal skulls are too perfectly carved and polished to have been made with these tools. There are at least five in museums worldwide, with the possibility that more will surface. The “Amethyst Skull,” supposedly discovered in the early part of the 20th century in Guatemala or Mexico, is made of purple quartz. The “Paris Skull” is currently residing in the Trocadero Museum in Paris, France. It has a slight indentation on the top, which is a hole that was cut into the skull purported to hold a cross. The Mayan Amethyst Skull is clear, but the two pictured are otherwise very alike. Like the Mitchell-Hedges skull, both of them were studied at Hewlett-Packard, and they too were found to be inexplicably cut against the axis of the crystal. Still curious? Go to Google and type in “crystal skulls” and you will get more information than you will be able to read! This article abstracted from the article “Legend of the Crystal Skulls” in Archaeology, Vol. 61, No. 3, 2008, by Jane MacLaren Walsh, Smithsonian archaeologist.
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COLLECTORS’ FAVORITE ARTIFACTS Editor’s note: This is a new section for our magazine. We have never had a “Collectors’ Favorites” section. We think this will become a popular section with the readers. Continuation of it will depend on YOU. Everyone has favorites in his/her collection. Send your submissions to the Editor at sstangland@cox.net. If the artifact has reader appeal and the photographic qualities are sharp, there is an excellent chance that we will publish it!
A 3/4 grooved highly polished axe found by Ron Clough on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the mid 1980's in a plowed field next to a small steam.
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Left: A rare, Early Archaic type found in Howard County, Illinois. Thin and made of high grade Burlington chert (Crescent Quarry), it measures 2 13/16 inches. It has a Partain COA and a G9 COA from IAGA. Right: At 3 1/8 inches in length, this fine Dickson is made of heat-treated chert and was found in the North Canadian River in Haskell County, Oklahoma. With a Perino COA from 2001, it is ex James Johnson, Lonnie Hartline and Richard Morrison collections. Both of the points above were acquired by Richard Thompson in February, 2011 at the Springdale, Arkansas show.
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A huge 9" perfect Hixton Adena artifact. It was found in approximately 1908 near Green Spring, Wisconsin, on a high bluff next to a river along with several other Hixton Adena blades and points. The finder was Jim Bridgerman. Submitted by Ron Clough.
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This point was not submitted as a “favorite,” but the Editor decided to include it here because it is made of such unusually clear and pure material. At the time it was submitted, the finder Matt Patstone of Southern California and the Editor were swapping some emails regarding points that were possibly made of “white man’s” glass. The jury is still out on this one!
What is special about the above two points is that, besides being “favorites,” they are personal finds from the very same day….August 20, 2010. A well-known couple, Tom and Myra Westfall, found the two points on a gravel bar on the South Platte River in Colorado. The top point is what Tom calls an “Eden-flaked” Scottsbluff made of Knife River Flint. The bottom point, perhaps a more classic looking Scottsbluff, is made from an imported and unnamed Montana material. Now, are you wondering which Westfall found the killer KRF? Well, of course, Myra did! PG 26
In the collection of Richard Thompson, this is a 3 1/4" Hopewell found by "Fish� in Henry County, Missouri. It is made of heat-treated Burlington and is ex Roger Colby, who acquired it from finder.
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Another beauty in the collection of Richard Thompson. A perfect 3 1/8" Apple Creek found by Cliff Milnes in Perche Creek, Randolph County, Missouri. It is made of creamy Burlington chert.
Two more Richard Thompson points, both of Mozarkite. The larger one is a superbly flaked, 4" Smith blade that had a couple of ancient resharpenings, reducing the width and ears. It is from central Missouri, and ex Brad Simmerman. The other point is a thin and well made 3 5/16" Etley found by Richard Whittle at the "Cucumber" site in Moniteau County, Missouri. Richard acquired it from finder and has a video of him digging it out of the ground.
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Randy Kennedy submitted this favorite point. It’s a Tupelo Turkeytail found by his dad in 1966 along the Cumberland River near Carthage, Tennessee. Jackson-papered, it measures 8 ž inches and is made of Hornstone.
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Both of these favorites are in the collection of Greg Truesdell and both are Perino papered. On the top is a Heavy Duty made of Carter Cave Flint and identified by Perino as a Chagrin River. On the bottom is a Graham Cave made of Cotter Flint. Perino said that this GC was one of the best‌.and the prettiest‌. he had ever seen.
Chuck Rosenbaum of Sugar Land, Texas, found this Archaic Umbrella Drill. This fine artifact was authenticated by Dwain Rogers. As of June of 2007, Mr. Rogers said that this was the best one he had ever seen.
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Another great find of Steve Valentine. Here is what Steve writes about this find: “This is a sandstone effigy pipe I found in April of 2009. It was surface find in a drainage ditch that runs beside a Ft. Ancient site in my area. When I first spotted it I thought it was a piece of Horned Coral because of the shape and when I rolled it over I almost fell over after seeing the stem hole in the side. I immediately knew it was a pipe and was amazed at the shape it was in. It is nearly pristine with a few black deposits on the side being the only flaws in the piece. Other than that, there isn't a scratch, nick, or mark on it anywhere. It has a mouth cut into the very tip and I believe it represents a fish or a baby bird waiting to be fed.”
A “Drives-Dogs-Nuts” Whistle
This 3 ½ inch, three-hole bone whistle found in Scioto County, Ohio, is another “favorite” of Steve Valentine. When Steve found it, he saw only a small piece of the end peeking out from the soil. Steve believes that it is possibly made from the leg bone of a Crane. He also says that it won’t play music (and therefore not a flute), but will whistle so loudly that it drives his dog nuts!
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This outstanding charmstone measures 4 ž inches. In addition to the unusual ridge, the opposite end has been worn quite smooth rather than simply pecked. It was found in the 1960’s near Winnemucca, Nevada. Previous Steve Lewis and now in the collection of Ken White.
This unique shaft straightener, with a hole, double grooves and numerous decorative grooves, was found in Carlsbad, California, in 1930. Now in the collection of Keith Brown of California. PG 32
THE PLUMMET ……THAT WUZZUNT Editor’s Note: A member sent me an email with a picture of a very encrusted plummet / charmstone. I decided to include it in this issue for your reading pleasure!
Hey Steve, I thought I’d deleted this photo but just came upon it and thought you might appreciate it and the story. Charmstones/plummets being among those relics I find completely captivating, you can perhaps imagine my great excitement when I happened upon the item in the attached photo towards the end of a very long hike last summer. The extreme mineralization made sense considering the environment in which I found it, as did the location for discovering my very first personal find of a charmstone. Slowly and gently, ever slowly and ever so gently, I ran a trickle of water and with the very slightest of pressure, I carefully removed the loose deposits. Layer upon layer upon layer later, I finally realized what I had found was in fact an old style photography flashbulb! Oh well. A huge disappointment then, but something to laugh at now. Someday I still hope to recover a real charmer! Ken White PG 33
THE CRITTER GALLERY
This tarantula was captured on film by Matt Patstone on December 18, 2010, in the desert east of San Diego while hunting points.
Another Matt Patstone “capture� in March of 2011 in the local San Diego mountains. This is an Oleander Hawk Moth.
A huge Cecropia Moth caught by Matt Patstone in a San Marcos, California firehouse in 2010.
Matt spotted this toad in the local mountains east of San Diego in mid-March of 2011.
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The Editor took a day off on March 23, 2011, in search of an in situ of the perfect point. He got skunked..‌.except for an in situ of this perfect juvenile Southern Pacific Rattler.
This Southern California Mule Deer was sneaking around on one of the Editor’s favorite sites on March 30, 2011. PG 35
These Killdeer eggs were not critters yet, but soon would be when Matt Patstone “camera-captured” them on April 28, 2011, while hiking a 5000 foot elevation meadow in San Diego County. Matt says…… “The mom and dad were acting like they were injured to lure us away from the nest. After the pic we left them alone. It was absolutely beautiful up there!”
You’ve seen this guy before (on left) in this magazine pulling “critters” out of Missouri creeks. That’s Gary Henson again doing the same thing with a 17-inch Spotted Bass in April of 2011. On the right is his friend, Jerry Hawkins, sporting a 16-inch Smallmouth.
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This Missouri creek frog, sent in by Gary Henson, demonstrates the art of camouflage.
This is a San Diego County frog demonstrating his camouflage at 5000 feet in a mountain meadow in late May of 2011. Captured on film by Matt Patstone.
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This is the Editor’s little friend “Arrow” the endangered-species Arroyo Toad. Arrow and about 70 of his friends were rescued as tadpoles from a Del Mar, California sandy pool that was about to dry up and turn the crew into buzzard bait. I raised “Arrow” and several of his buddies from tadpoles. These pics were taken on July 8, 2011, about 20 minutes before Arrow was returned to the wild in a nearby San Diego canyon similar to the “arroyo” from where Arrow was rescued.
The “Critter Gallery” wouldn’t be complete without a shot of the ubiquitous “Horny Toad” spotted on desert sand on Sunday, May 22, 2011, by Matt Patstone
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