istics, from that of the past. The region is not one where 
such plants as maize, beans and squashes, none of them 
species notable for drought resistance, would be expected 
to occur in the wild, and certainly at the present time 
conditions are scarcely suitable for their cultivation. At 
an earlier period, however, when Lake San Augustin 
was a permanent body of water with a water level con- 
siderably higher than the present level of the plain, 
maize, beans and squashes could have been, and un- 
doubtedly were, grown on its shores. 
Description of the Site. Bat Cave is situated on the 
eastern edge of the Plains of San Augustin about 165 
feet above the level of the lake floor and at an altitude 
of about 7000 feet. Carved out of an almost vertical cliff, 
apparently by wave action, Bat Cave is actually a series 
of six more or less separate caves. The largest of these 
is about 100 feet deep and 75 feet from floor to roof. A 
second is approximately 40 feet deep and 80 feet from 
floor to roof. Four smaller caves lying between these 
two are 10 to 20 feet deep and 10 to 15 feet high. It is 
from these smaller caves that the material described in 
this paper was excavated. 
Eecavation of Material. The refuse was removed in 
successive strata each about twelve inches in thickness. 
The lowest stratum which contained plant remains is 
designated as I and the uppermost as VI. 
The bulk of the material was carefully excavated im 
situ by hand trowelling on a vertical face. The depth of 
the specimen was carefully noted in all cases. All the 
botanical material was packaged in separate lots for each 
area in the excavation. 
The total depth of the deposits in which maize was 
found averaged between five and six feet. The entire 
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