310 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 191 



TABOGA-5 



On the precipitous south side of Taboga there is a cave located 

 directly below the highest part of the island. It is about 5 or 6 meters 

 above high water. There is no beach along this exposed part of the 

 island. To visit the cave we landed from our boat on a rocky ledge 

 and easily reached it by skirting the lower part of the cliff. 



The cave slopes downward at about a 20° angle and the entrance 

 is not high enough to stand up in. It seems to have been a high nar- 

 row cleft, the floor of which has been built up with bat dung and by 

 material washed in from the hillside. It is quite dry. 



In climbing up the short talus below the mouth of the cave we 

 saw a number of potsherds. The cave is apparently quite deep and 

 is inhabited by myriads of vampire bats. We did not have lights 

 and therefore did not enter. It is quite probable that it contains 

 offerings, judging from the potsherds on the talus. 



URABA ISLAND 



The rocky and precipitous islet of Uraba lies to the southeast of 

 Taboga, from which it is separated by a narrow but deep channel. 

 It has no permanent water and but little land suitable for cultivation. 

 At the present time it is unpopulated. 



Our Taboga Island guide told us that he knew of some rock shelters 

 containing human bones and large pottery vessels in an area so rugged 

 that it was practically never visited. 



With an outboard motor we left Taboga, passed through the 

 channel, and, following the south side of the islet, entered a deep 

 hidden cove at the southeast corner. From this point we cut our 

 way up a steep spur of the mountain and down to the north side. 

 Here is an impressive cliff of massive basalt about 60 meters high. 

 A broad shelf at the base of the cliff is covered with a pile of huge 

 angular blocks of basalt fallen from the cliff. We climbed through 

 and over this tangled mass of stone, some of the blocks as big as a 

 small house. The rocks are overgrown with tropical trees and the 

 whole area is a roost for hundreds of pelicans. Our guide asked us 

 to wait while he located the site, and in 10 minutes he returned carry- 

 ing a big oUa. He brought us to a place where three gigantic blocks 

 combined to form a rock shelter about 4X5 meters in area. Open 

 in the middle, there is an overhang on both sides. Looking down we 

 could see a dozen or more pottery ollas, mostly broken, but apparently 

 disturbed only by nature since they had been placed there. 



About 30 meters north of this main depository, we found another 

 containing three pots. We photographed the offerings as they were, 

 then, after cleaning out the accumulated rubbish, photographed them 



