460 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1926 
Peking Union Medical College, has pointed out to me that the 
molars are similar in type to those of the existing North Chinese 
race. 
Night was now drawing on, and we had to hurry to the station 
to catch the train back to Chéng Chow, where we were to meet 
General Chin. But before leaving, I secured the promise of the 
official in charge to have the skull covered over with planks banked 
with earth, until I could return. This arrangement appears to have 
been overruled, however, by those higher in rank, before my next 
visit. The skull had disappeared, going, no doubt, over the dump, 
along with so much else of the highest interest from the archeologi- 
cal point of view. Certain other human bones, however, which had 
been reinterred by the excavators in another place, have been again 
disinterred, thanks to the efforts of my friends, Doctor Ting and 
Doctor Li. These, the latter tells me, apparently belong to two 
individuals, one of them, at least, a woman, and neither of them the 
one whose skull I partially disinterred, and who, I think there can 
be no doubt, was the central figure of this interment. Whether the 
other two individuals belong to this or to other interments must 
remain doubtful; but it seems possible that they were slaves or 
concubines, buried along with the central figure. 
I noted particularly, while getting out the mandible, that there 
was no trace of anything suggesting a coffin. There was, however, 
both above and below the skull, a dark layer about an inch and a 
half in thickness, quite distinct against the yellowish soil and rather 
deeply impregnated on both sides with the same red pigment already 
noted. The natural presumption would be that these dark layers 
represented some sort of protective, covering which had been placed 
at the time of the interment both below and over the body. Regard- 
ing its original nature I scarcely dare to hazard a guess. That it 
was of wood or any other rigid substance seems unlikely; for that 
part of it extending over the skull was distinctly curved, as though 
consisting originally of some flexible material; the possibility of 
matting, or perhaps of some thick hide, might be indicated. 
In addition to what I secured from the pits themselves, I managed 
to collect on the dumps a number of bones and a certain amount of 
pottery, all in a fragmentary condition; while still more were 
brought to me by the workmen and the soldiers guarding the 
operations. In this connection I should like to express my appre- 
ciation of the very friendly attitude of all, both high and low, with 
whom I came in contact during my study of this find. And inci- 
dentally I may say that I secured abundant proof of what I had 
believed all along to be the case—that the Chinese laborer, given 
the requisite training, will make excellent material for archeological 
