﻿26 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 78 



On studying the fossil-bearing deposits at both locahties, it was 

 found that the general conditions of deposition in the vicinity 

 of Melbourne were almost identical with those at Vero, so there 

 was no difficulty in recognizing over a wide area at Melbourne the 

 three principal geologic horizons designated by Sellards at Vero 

 as Nos. I, 2, and 3. This made the correlation of the beds of the 

 two localities comparatively easy. It was found that at both lo- 

 calities, all the fossil bones taken from Sellards " No. 2 " layer 

 were primarily deposited and were definitely of Pleistocene age. 

 Many of the bones of the lower part of No. 3 were also of this 

 age but were often mixed with bones of more modern species. Also 

 that " No. 3 '' layer usually lies imconformably upon the somewhat 

 unevenly eroded surface of " No. 2." " No. 3 " layer throughout 

 contained numerous evidences of man, apparently of no great an- 

 tiquity, while no remains of this character were found in the lower 

 portion at least of " No. 2." However, at Melbourne there were 

 found, at three relatively widely separated areas, human bones or 

 artifacts associated with undisturbed, and not redeposited, fossil 

 bones of the Pleistocene fauna. These finds v\^ere all near the top 

 of " No. 2 " level, just below the contact plane. As no human re- 

 mains or artifacts were found below the top layer of " No. 2," it 

 is assumed that man arrived in Florida about the close of the time 

 marked by the finished deposition of " No. 2 " or during the erosian 

 interval between it and " No. 3," and that he seems to have found 

 there a late survival of the Pleistocene fauna, certain species of 

 which may have persisted in the south later than did their relatives 

 in the north country. To verify these conclusions, a more extensive 

 and carefully worked out geologic investigation of botli localities 

 should be made, especially along the contact plane between beds 

 " Nos. 2 and 3." 



This expedition also spent some time in exploring certain of the 

 ancient Indian shell mounds and burial places of the vicinity. From 

 these a good collection of well-preserved skulls and skeletons were 

 obtained. There are many of these ancient Indian mounds in this 

 part of Florida, but unfortunately the present white inhabitants of 

 the region are digging them up as fast as located in the hope of 

 finding buried treasures. Thus is being destroyed what historic and 

 scientific value these mounds have for the archeologist. At the 

 present rate it will be only a few years until these burial places of 

 an interesting ancient people will almost wholly vanish as have the 

 people who made them. 



