THE BREA MAID 



The following- report on the prehistoric remains of this 

 individual was made by Prof. J. C. Merriam at an open meeting 

 in the County Museum on the evening of June 11, 1914. 



The skull is now on exhibition in the Museum at Exposi- 

 tion Park. 



The following- report is copied from the full address given 

 in the Examiner of June 12, 1914: 



The majority of the bones of the prehistoric animals are 

 found in the vents or chimneys through which the oil seeped 

 up from the underlying- strata. 



The human bones were all fotmd in the north chimney 

 of Pit 10, where the history of accumulation is more compli- 

 cated than in the south vent. The pit containing: the human 

 remains also contains all of the presumably associated speci- 

 mens representing extinct animals. 



The human remains are found rather widely scattered be- 

 tween a depth of about six feet and nine feet. 



The whole collection of human remains seems to represent 

 one individual. The bones are generally very much worn. 

 The wear in some cases suggests movement within the pit in 

 such a manner that sand in the tar, or resting against the 

 wall of the chimney, has cut away the bone by long continued 

 rubbing'. 



Enough of the human skeleton was found in the pit to 

 o-ive a fairlv satisfactorv idea as to the characteristics of the 

 individual it represents. 



The skull is that of a small person of middle age, possil^ly 

 a woman. The brain case is relatively as large as that in some 

 of the living- native races of America. 



The racial characteristics do not differ decidedly from 

 those of people whose remains have been excavated in mounds 

 on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Southern California. 



So far as the characteristics of the skeleton are concerned, 

 it is not necessary to suppose that this is the skull of a person 

 who lived at a remote time, when the human family was in 

 a relativelv low stage of evolution. 



This skull is not comparable to those of ancient races of 

 the Neanderthal or earlier types. On the other hand, one must 

 not forget that people of a fairly advanced stage of brain de- 

 velopment were already in existence at the beginning of the 

 present or recent geological period. 



Estimates Age. 



The character of the human remains taken by themselves 

 indicates a time either a portion of the present or recent period, 



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