2C6 Hav, Bones oj flic Great Auk in Florida. 



TAuk 



Ljuly 



was SO surprising tliat careful inquiry was made of Prof. Blatchley 

 to ascertain the possibility of an intrusion of the bone from some 

 other collection. Assurances were received from that gentleman 

 that he had collected the bone himself at the locality mentioned. 

 Shortly after this an account of the discovery was published in the 

 New York ' Sun '; and this being copied into some of the Florida 

 papers, reached the eyes of Prof. C. H. Hitchcock of Dartmouth 

 College, who was then sojourning at Ormond. He wrote at once 

 making inquiry as to the position of the mound. At the same 

 time I w^as anxiously looking for some one to continue excavation 

 with a view of finding other bones of this interesting bird; hence 

 the information was at once furnished. Prof. Hitchcock immedi- 

 ately went to work and it was not long before he reported the find- 

 ing of another humerus. On his return north he stopped at Wash- 

 ington, where he showed the bone to Prof. F. A. Lucas, of the 

 National Museum. Afterward this bone and specimens of the 

 other vertebrates that he had collected at Ormond were turned 

 over to the \vriter by Prof. Hitchcock for identification. 



According to Prof. Blatchley 's account, this shell heap is situated 

 on the west bank of the Halifax River, about one mile north of 

 Ormond. The mound was originally 1136 feet long, 213 feet wide 

 where widest, and about ten feet high where highest. A portion 

 of it more than a hundred feet long has been removed for use on 

 the streets of Ormond, The whole is a refuse heap which was 

 made by the Indians, and consists of shells, bones, pottery, etc. 

 The great bulk of the materials is composed of the shells of the 

 little mollusk, Donax variabilis, which is very abundant at this 

 locality, the animal of which appears to have been relished by the 

 aborigines. It seems very plain, however, that they were ready 

 to make use of almost any animal, salt water, fresh water, or ter- 

 restrial. 



Where Prof. Blatchley's excavations were made there are six 

 layers of shells, varying from five inches to three feet in thickness, 

 and five of mold or decaying vegetation, ranging in thickness from 

 two inches to a foot. The surface soil is a foot thick, and in this 

 are growing trees of considerable size. These data give us some 

 idea of the great age of at least the older portions of the mound. 

 The bone of the Great Auk secured by Prof. Blatchley was taken 



