﻿198 
  

  

  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  these 
  skeletons 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   oldest 
  yet 
  discovered 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  

   though 
  not 
  approaching 
  the 
  Table 
  

   Mountain 
  or 
  Neanderthal 
  crania 
  in 
  an- 
  

   tiquity. 
  First 
  the 
  cave 
  was 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  

   burial 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  three 
  skeletons. 
  

   Then 
  over 
  these 
  two 
  feet 
  of 
  mould 
  accu- 
  

   mulated 
  by 
  decay 
  of 
  animal 
  matter 
  and 
  

   of 
  rubbish, 
  perhaps 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  foxes 
  

   for 
  their 
  nests, 
  or 
  rarely 
  finding 
  an 
  en- 
  

   trance 
  through 
  the 
  contracted 
  aperture 
  

   of 
  the 
  cave. 
  This 
  must 
  have 
  taken 
  a 
  

   long 
  time. 
  The 
  great 
  antipathy 
  of 
  

   these 
  natives 
  to 
  approaching 
  a 
  burial 
  

   place, 
  not 
  to 
  say 
  using 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  camping 
  

   ground, 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  this 
  use 
  

   of 
  the 
  cave 
  for 
  interments 
  must 
  have 
  

   passed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  memory 
  or 
  tradition 
  

   of 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  before 
  its 
  

   occupation 
  as 
  a 
  temporary 
  camp 
  could 
  

   have 
  commenced. 
  Then 
  the 
  six 
  inches 
  

   of 
  debris 
  from 
  the 
  repasts 
  of 
  occasional 
  

   visitors 
  must 
  have 
  accumulated 
  very 
  

   slowly. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  bear 
  in 
  

   mind 
  that 
  the 
  cave 
  is 
  not 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  

   air 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  wind 
  

   or 
  rain, 
  and 
  the 
  shingle 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   isthmus 
  is 
  composed 
  is 
  too 
  porous 
  to 
  

   form 
  a 
  channel 
  by 
  which 
  stuff 
  might 
  

   wash 
  into 
  the 
  cave, 
  even 
  had 
  its 
  cavity 
  

   been 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  surrounding 
  ground, 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  not. 
  

  

  Then 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  as 
  if 
  some 
  un- 
  

   usual 
  storm, 
  tidal 
  or 
  earthquake 
  wave, 
  

   was 
  instrumental 
  in 
  forcing 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  

   heavy 
  shingle 
  stones 
  into 
  the 
  cave 
  from 
  

   the 
  adjacent 
  sea 
  beach. 
  After 
  this 
  had 
  

   been 
  accomplished, 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  cave 
  

  

  must 
  again 
  have 
  been 
  as 
  a 
  refuge 
  for 
  the 
  dead, 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  this 
  has 
  

   been 
  going 
  on 
  cannot 
  have 
  been 
  small, 
  from 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  remains 
  of 
  separate 
  

   individuals 
  discovered 
  by 
  us, 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  accumulated 
  mould. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  material 
  found 
  herein 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  date 
  coeval 
  with 
  or 
  antecedent 
  to 
  the 
  

   earliest 
  Russian 
  navigators, 
  nothing 
  whatever 
  bearing 
  the 
  impress 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  

   modern 
  tools 
  or 
  methods 
  introduced 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  rude 
  efiForts 
  of 
  civilization. 
  

   About 
  this 
  time, 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  desecration 
  of 
  their 
  burial 
  place, 
  or 
  for 
  some 
  

  

  