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land of Mr. Wyraan, near the new cemetery in Marble- 

 head. A portion of the bones and the articles found 

 were placed on the table. After the subject had been 

 introduced by the PRESIDENT, 



Mr. A. C. GOODELL, Jr., said that from a conversation 

 with Isaac C. Wyman, Esq., the owner of the land where 

 the bodies were found, he was led to visit the locality 

 some two years ago, in the hope of getting some further 

 light respecting the location of the ancient Fort Darby ; 

 but upon viewing the premises he became satisfied that 

 the curious and irregular hollows in the surface of the 

 ground were not the marks of post holes or palisadoes, 

 as had been conjectured, but were, in all probability, the 

 work of Indians. His opinion was confirmed by a tradi- 

 tion in Marblehead that this spot was an Indian burying 

 ground, and he resolved to verify it whenever he could 

 make up a party including Mr. Putnam, the Director of 

 the Museum, whose interest in aboriginal archaeology is 

 well known. His illness in the summer of 1873 pre- 

 vented this excursion ; and no opportunity was afforded 

 until late this autumn, when, although Mr. Putnam was 

 absent at the west, a party was hastily got together in 

 order that the investigation might be made before the cold 

 season set in. The party consisted of fourteen persons, 

 including two experienced navvies, and the work was 

 commenced late in the forenoon. 



Four holes were sunk without success ; but after lunch, 

 one of the party, in digging a fifth hole, came to what he 

 called a decayed root. The digging was instantly stopped 

 until an examination had been made by Mr. Goodell, who 

 drew out a human arm bone, and carefully removing the 

 earth, uncovered a human skull. The other holes were 

 now abandoned, and the entire party set to work, in the 



