198 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 52 



chisels and knives; and there were also a large quantity of bones 

 belonging to about 15 species of mammals, in a large part extinct, 

 such as Hoplo2)horus omatus (Burm.), Hoplophorus Burmeisteri (Nob.), 

 Lagostomus angustidens (Burm.), Canis protalopex (Lund), Eutatus 

 Seguini (Gerv.), and Triodon mercedensis (Nob.)." 



In 1881, in the second volume of his La Antigiiedad del Hombre 

 en El Plata (pp. 377-380), Ameghino speaks again of the discovery. 

 He says, "In February, 1872, in the vicinity of Mercedes, I came 

 across fragments of the carapace of a glyptodon, piled up by human 

 hands, wliile at the same time I found on many fossil bones of animals 

 signs of percussion, lines, grooves, and incisions, evidently produced 

 by the hand of man. 



"Toward the end of the same year I discovered on the banks of 

 the Arroyo de Frias the first human fossil bones, accompanied with 

 worked stones, bones of extinct animals, and other objects." 



In 1874 Ameghino stated that he tried to interest Burmeister in 

 his find of "fossil" human bones but without success. Somewhat later 

 in the year, however, he was accompanied to the place of the discov- 

 ery by Prof. Ramorino, "and, in his presence, continued the exca- 

 vations at the Arroyo de Frias. We found some fragments of tierra 

 cocida [baked earth], many pieces of charcoal, one vertebra, and one 

 scaphoid bone of man, mixed with numerous fragments of the cara- 

 pace of glyptodon, etc." 



The discovery of the Argentine fossil man was soon afterward 

 announced in a number of the Buenos Aires daily journals. 



In 1875 the specimens in his possession relating to man's antiquity 

 were exhibited by Ameghino at the Scientific Exposition of the 

 Sociedad Cientifica Argentina, and the society honored the exhibitor 

 with a diploma, one express object of which was to act as "a powerful 

 stimulus for the continuation of these investigations." 



In 1878 Ameghino presented to the same society a memoir bearing 

 the title "El hombre cuarternario en la Pampa." This memoir was 

 not accepted by the society for publication, some of the reasons for 

 the refusal being as follows : ^ 



"The problem wliich Senor Ameghino assumes to have solved is of 

 considerable importance and can not be passed over lightly. 



"Other analogous discoveries did not give the results which their 

 authors anticipated. 



"For this reason, and on account of the nature of the terrane in 

 which the author of the memoir has made his investigations, and 

 which was visited by one of our number, we are of the opinion that 

 the problem can not be considered as solved until there shall be made 

 a thorough prolonged study of the objects that were encountered." 



> Ameghino, F., La antigiiedad, etc., n, 1881, p. 397. 



