^"Noi^TSp"^' TABOGA, URABA, TABOGUILLA ISLANDS STIRLING 297 



of about 350 feet, the ground levels off somewhat at a point where 

 an ephemeral stream runs during the wet season. On this area 

 grow a number of mango and lime trees and a few coconut palms. 

 Taboga-1 is a midden deposit consisting of a mixture of shells 

 and black earth and covering an area approximately 100 feet in dia- 

 meter on the south slope of a shallow dry ravine. About 6 inches 

 of black soil covered the midden deposit. Under this the shell 

 layer decreased in depth from 36 inches at the north, or lower, end 

 to 24 inches at the south end. Under the shell the natural base was a 

 very hard packed mixture of rough rocks and clayey soil. We dug 

 a test trench into this base to a depth of 2 feet without finding any 

 artifacts. Trench 1 was laid out 20 feet X 20 feet and excavated 

 in four sections each 5 feet X 20 feet in dimension. The material 

 was removed in 1-foot layers 0-12 inches, 12-24 inches, and 24-36 

 inches. 



STONE, BONE, AND SHELL 



Although potsherds were fairly abundant through the deposit and 

 stone artifacts were moderately common, there were no artifacts of 

 shell or bone. Shells were abundant and in considerable variety, 

 33 species being collected. It is interesting to note that the specimens 

 from the midden average a considerably larger size than the same 

 species living in these waters today. 



The following were found in Taboga 1: ^ 



Gastropoda 



Tegula (Tegula) pellis-serpentis Wood 



Neriia {Ritena) scabricosta Larricarck 



Cypraea (Macrocypraea cervinetto) Kiener 



Planaxis plani coslatus Sowerby 



Siroinbus peruvianus Swainson 



Strombus gracilior Sowerby 



Strombiis granulatus Swainson 



Malea ringens Swainson 



Thais {Vasula) melones Duclos 



Muricanthus radix Gmelin 



Muricanlhus nigritus Philippi 



Turbinella castanea Reeve 



Fasciolaria (Pleuroploca) princeps Sovvrerby 



Fasciolaria (Pleuroploca) nalmo Wood 



Melongena patula Broderip and Sowerby 



Mitra {? Sirigatella) belcheri Hinds 



Vasum caestus Broderip 



Terebra sp. (worn) 



Terebra (Sirioierebruv) glauca Hinds 



2 Tlie identifications were made by Dr. R. Tucker Abbott. Nomenclature follows that of A. M. Keen 

 (1958J. 



