20 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



• EXPLORATIONS 



Utila Island 



The Boekelman Shell Heap Expedition while at the Bay Islands 

 did their most extensive work on Utila, whereas we spent only our 

 last 4 days there. As a result the following section is based primarily 

 on the excavations of Bird and his companions, supplemented by 

 our own brief reconnaissance. We visited and sampled all the main 

 sites where they worked, and in addition each party visited certain 

 sites not investigated by the other. William Waterhouse, of East 

 Harbor, who justly bears the reputation of being the best guide on 

 the island, was employed by both parties. The town of East Har- 

 bor is a very attractive place, and the officials and other residents were 

 pleasant and hospitable. From Utila one gets a magnificent view of 

 the mainland, and the great blue mountains of Honduras loom im- 

 pressively in the distance. The island itself, while flatter and probably 

 better for agriculture, is less picturesque than the others of the group. 



BLACK ROCK BASIN 

 Site i, Urn and Skull Burials 



The Boekelman Expedition was the first to do scientific work 

 at these important sites, working, as we did, from a vessel anchored 

 in Black Rock Basin, which is one of the very few island harbors 

 on the north shore. Both parties rather arbitrarily distinguished 

 two sites (see map, fig. 2) to the west of Black Rock Basin, although 

 for a mile or so along this low coral and sand shore there are a series 

 of aboriginal occupation and burial sites. These have been consider- 

 ably dug over by local treasure hunters, but there is undoubtedly still 

 a great deal of undisturbed evidence to be secured. 



To reach site i from the vessel (map, fig. 2) we rowed in a small 

 boat to the west end of the basin. Landing here at a small native 

 plantation, we walked west about half a mile along the low shore 

 line, which consists of rough coral rock interspersed with occasional 

 bits of sandy beach. The entire shore line is heavily grown up with 

 large coconut palms. Within half a mile of the west end of the 

 basin potsherds, conch shells, and other traces of aboriginal occupa- 

 tion appear, and these extend to the west with varying intensity for 

 at least half a mile and perhaps farther. Bird, in his notes, refers to 

 a small shell heap about 600 feet inland from the beach, near site i, 

 and states that two former shell heaps in this vicinity had been 

 burned for lime. The only sites we saw during our brief visit were 

 on, or just back from, the beach. 



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