244 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 52 



large stature, which does not seem greatly different from the normal 

 form, and the other very small, which seems to show some relation- 

 ship with the negritos (?)." 



Befo^^ the last two of the above articles appeared in print, the 

 writer's attention was called by Professor Amegliino to the Ovejero 

 and other specimens, all of which are in the Museo Nacional. But the 

 only information obtained was that ''some of the specimens came 

 recently from the Superior Pampean and are fossil; while others 

 came possibly from superposed, more recent formations." 



With one exception the specimens themselves were not catalogued 

 or numbered and there was already confusion of the different lots 

 and also confusion as to their particular locahties. 



The examination of the specimens peltled no results which would 

 justify their acceptance as anytliing but relatively modern and in 

 all probabihty as ordinary Indian, differing only as to age and sex 

 of the subjects. In view of the recentness of the finds, however, 

 the writer and Mr. Willis decided to visit the locality. In this 

 endeavor we received very valuable assistance at the hands of Pro- 

 fessor Ameghino, who sent Sr. de Carles, the collector of various 

 remains, to accompany us. Thanks are due also to Sr. de Carles 

 himself, who assisted the party in every way possible and who gave 

 the writer as detailed an account of the various finds as he was able 

 to furnish. 



The data thus obtained are as follows: About 1906 de Carles made 

 a visit to the valley of the Rio Dulce to see what objects of sci- 

 entific interest could be found there, and during his search near a 

 Uttle settlement known as Ovejero discovered outside of a visca- 

 chera (lair of the viscachas) fragments of human bones. He dug 

 into the viscachera and found other bones, includmg a humerus and 

 two skulls. These remains were about 1 meter below the surface. 

 The exact spot was sUghtly lower than the "sdllage and about one 

 cuadra from the river. The bones were in soil washed by the 

 river during periods of flood. There were found also in the same 

 excavation bones of animals, including possibly those of the 

 guanaco, with carbon, AmpuTlaria shells, broken unios, and fragments 

 of plain pottery. 



On the journey during which the first finils were made, Sr. de Carles 

 found somewhat farther up the river, in a shallow barranca and at 

 less depth than in the first case, portions of human bones and a 

 skuU ; these were partly exposed in the face of the barranca. 



On a subsequent journey Sr. de Carles discovered one ''petrified" 

 human skull and a small part of another, with some fragments of 

 bones, in a deep barranca near a place called Sotelillo. These bones 

 were near the base of the barranca, which might have been, as far 

 as he remembers, about 9 m. below the surface. Nearby, at about the 



