ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 285 



this single mound, which was literally half composed of such debris, arranged in 

 layers separated by vegetable mould. From these materials we picked out a 

 number of articles of interest. 



These were principally stone lamps like those previously described, of various 

 sizes, diff.'ring iu some extent in form and nicety of finish. Besides these there 

 were also many large rough stones, either naturally or artificially hollowed out 

 on one side, which had been subjected to the action of fire, and were probably 

 the pavement or hearth upon which fire had been built for culinary purposes. 

 Several rough pieces of cetacean bone were found brought to a sharp square 

 edge at one end, and formerly in use for dressing skins. A few stone knives 

 were found, all of the native pattern, i. e., shaped like a chopping knife. These 

 were of a dark slate-stone, which must have been brought from a locality nearer 

 the mainland of America, as it is not found in Unalashka, or the islands west 

 of it as far as known. Also a large part of a flat spoon of carved bone, with 

 a grooved handle, several awls usually made from the wing bones of birds, bone 

 arrow-heads of Eskiiuo pattern, fragments of bones variously grooved, cut or 

 carved, and a little ball of bone half perforated. This puzzled me for a long 

 time, until an old Aleut informed me that, in his boyhood, he had seen such 

 things used as buttons, to be placed on the end of a bone lance or arrow, when 

 practising at a mark, in order that the point might not become blunted or in- 

 jured. None of these articles exhibited any particular skill in carving, or any 

 ornamental patterns except of straight lines. A number of chipped flints 

 which had evidently been used in striking fire, were also found. 



Further explorations made during the ensuing winter and spring, revealed 

 the sites of seven villages on Amaknak Island alone, of which but one or 

 two are known even by tradition. Excavations in one or two of these places 

 revealed similar implements to those already described ; others might doubtless 

 have turned up, but my means and time were too limited to permit very exten- 

 sive excavations. I was able, however, to detect two other modes of burial 

 among these prehistoric natives. 



In certain places at the foot of overhanging cliffs, a wall had been built up 

 until the rock above was reached, and outside a bank of earth or turf covered 

 this wall. In the space inside, the debris had then been removed, and in this 

 space, on a layer of small sticks of driftwood, the bodies had been laid, one above 

 the other. In one case I found six skeletons, so placed and separated only by 

 the layers of sticks and a piece of grass matting similar to that still manufactured 

 by the natives of Unalashka. Here again I noted the remarkable absence of any 

 utensils or articles of apparel or ornament. Only one bone arrow-head, with a 

 piece of its shaft, and a fragment of a wooden mask, were found during the ex- 

 amination of some four or five of these caves, crammed with remains of skele- 

 tons. The bones were much decayed wherever water, percolating through the 

 rocks, had been able to reach them, but where they were dry, they were well 

 preserved. The bones agreed, in all essential respects, with Eskimo remains 

 of similar character; the only anatomical peculiurily was the great stoutnesss of 

 the long bones and a remarkable thickening of the inner face of the under jaw, 

 which was so extensive, in a majority of cases, as to nearly close the space be- 



Pboc. Cal. Ac.U). Sci., Vol. IV.— 21. Jaitoabt, 1873. 



