The lower tiers of blocks are set in slight notches in the snow, to prevent the blocks from slipping out.
"My Attainment of the Pole"
Frederick A. Cook
He handed the gun over to Silas, who saw for the first time that there were seven notches cut in the stock, the particularly long one representing the time that Tug had shot at the shadow, and missed.
"The Mystery of the Locks"
Edgar Watson Howe
There was also a row of birch logs, evidently obtained from the bluff, with notches cut in them, and a heap of thin strips of wood which had a sweet resinous smell.
"A Prairie Courtship"
Harold Bindloss