172 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [fEB. 15, 



Beyond the valley towards the sea there is a broad stretch 

 of low flat country, much of which I should consider as having 

 originated in the Quarternary period, because at various places 

 near the coast I found deposits of sand containing modern shells, 

 which could not have been formed by the waters of to-day. They 

 were too far back from the sea and, moreover, in this district the 

 land is now being washed away by the strong steady current 

 setting along the coast from east to west. At the Rio Hacha 

 one side of a long street with its stores and warehouses has 

 been totally washed out, yet in the old Spanish days this was 

 one of the most active and well-known places in South America, 

 and the houses were of that substantial mason work, which was 

 used in the last century, when strength was all important. 



A further evidence that parts of the flat land between the 

 valley of the Rancheria and the sea are of recent geological 

 origin is the presence of human remains which are found under 

 the most interesting conditions. 



About three miles in a direct line from the sea the Rio Ran- 

 cheria cuts against a steep bank of sand and alluvium deposits, 

 which are about thirty feet high. When the river is very low 

 three distinct strata can be seen. First the superficial, recent 

 alluvium and sand about ten feet deep; below this a clearly 

 defined stratum of coarser sand also about ten feet deep, and 

 still lower there is another stratum some eight or ten feet deep 

 composed of hard compact sand compressed and cemented al- 

 most to stone. Here the human remains are found lying near 

 the bottom of this lowest stratum and resting nearly on the 

 marls common to this section and generally underlying all the 

 country. The stage in which these remains lie marks a com- 

 pleted deposit of sediment; above them is another local stage, 

 and overlying this is the superficial alluvium, indicating that 

 these remains are historically of great antiquity. 



The remains are washed out by the erosion of the river and at 

 times a number of them can be seen. They are entirely different 

 from anything I have ever met. It is evidently an old burying 

 ground. The human remains are packed in clay cylinders round- 

 ed at the base and with a spreading cover for the top carefully 

 fitted on and surmounted by a head possibly intended as an ef- 

 fig}' of the deceased. In the cylinders the bones are nicely packed 

 and to have crowded them into the narrow space must have neces- 

 sitated their having been macerated or stripped of the flesh. On 

 top of the cylinder the skull was placed with the cover carefully 

 fitted over to protect it and to close the orifice. Many of these 

 clay burial urns are still in good condition and are found in 

 groups, each having what was perhaps a distinctive headdress. 



