14 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 94 



presence occurs immediately above the eroded surface. This would 

 place the occupation of the locality at the beginning of the present 

 geologic period. Although speculation of this nature suggests inter- 

 esting possibilities, it must be borne in mind that it is only conjecture 

 and that careful examination of the deposits by specialists may result 

 in entirely different conclusions. The chief purpose of this suppositi- 

 tious reconstruction is to call attention to some of the questions raised 

 by conditions at the site. 



Preliminary prospecting indicated that the main concentration of 

 archeological material occurs in the strip of land lying between the 

 present gully and the edge of the terrace (fig. i ) . The area is approxi- 

 mately 250 yards (228.6 m ) long by 100 yards (91.44 m) wide. The 

 artifact-bearing stratum varies in depth below the surface. Along the 

 edge of the terrace its average depth approximates 2 feet (60.96 cm), 

 increasing rapidly toward the bank of the gully, where it is 14 feet 

 (4.267 m) below the present surface at the place where most of the 

 digging was done. (See pi. 2, fig. 2.) It is 6 feet (1.828 m) down 

 from the top at the mouth of the ravine. The difference in depth 

 between the upper and lower ends along the bank is due not so much 

 to variation in the old soil line level as to the slope of the present 

 surface. Digging at a number of places, both along the edge of the 

 terrace and in the sides of the ravine, yielded stone implements and 

 broken animal bones. The specimens occurred in greatest numbers at 

 the deepest point, however, and for that reason most of the preliminary 

 work was restricted to that portion of the deposit. The material at 

 this location suggested a midden or refuse layer, whereas that from 

 other portions of the site was more of the nature of chance accumula- 

 tions. The objects, bone and stone, were found for the most part just 

 above the clay stratum in a layer 6 inches (15.24 cm) to i foot 

 (30.48 cm) in thickness (pi. 3). Some were lying flat at the line of 

 contact between the layers, others extended down into the top of the 

 clay as intrusions. 



The deep level, where most of the work was done, seemingly con- 

 stituted the peripheral vestiges of one of the depressions in the top of 

 the clay bed, as mentioned in a preceding paragraph. It suggested that 

 the material had been deposited along the edges of a shallow pond or 

 a marshy spot. The main portion of the old depression was washed 

 away when the present ravine was formed. A wedge-shaped excava- 

 tion was driven into the bank following along the top of the clay bed. 

 Because of the large amount of overburden to be removed, the neces- 

 sity for extremely careful digging, and the short time available for 



