THE ANCIENT ISLANDERS OF CALIFORNIA. 659 



Both, islands were inhabited when discovered by Cabrillo in 

 1542, and undoubtedly for ages supported a large and vigorous 

 population of savage seafarers who were skilled in all the rude 

 arts of the fisherman and the sea. 



How long these islands have been occupied, and who were the 

 original settlers, are questions difficult to answer; but on Santa 



FIG. 2. SKELETON FOUND AT SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, CALIFORNIA. 



Catalina the writer has identified a number of residence sites, shell 

 mounds, caves, and tumuli, all of which show evidence of ancient 

 occupation. 



On the island of San Clemente we began work on the north end, 

 at what is known as the Isthmus. Here for several hundred acres 

 the sand has covered the soil and is gradually flowing up over the 

 island, driven by the wind. For some reason this appears to have 

 been a favorite location for the aborigines, as in every direction 

 traces of previous occupation were found ; but as the sand has been 

 blowing for centuries, a greater portion o'f the material has been 

 covered by it. The evidence was in the shape of shell mounds 

 piles of abalones, brought from the ocean, half a mile distant ; 

 heaps of the bones of fishes, seals, and various animals, among 

 which were found stone implements, well-molded scraping stones, 

 grinders and broken mortars. 



A day was spent in digging in these sand dunes with poor suc- 

 cess, but the following morning, on the west shore of the island, 

 another sand stretch was discovered which had evidently been 

 occupied for years. In one place we found human bones uncovered 

 by the sand, in such numbers that the impression was given that 

 here was an old battlefield where bodies had been left as they 

 fell. As far as the eye could see down the coast the sand dunes 



