HRDLic-KA] SKELETAL REMAINS OE EARLY MAISI" 279 



The burial cavity is of an irregular oblong form, approaching 

 somewhat an hourglass in shape. Its longest diameter from east to 

 west measures a little more than 9 feet (3 m.) ; its greatest breadth in 

 its more western part is just 3 feet (1 m.), wliile the greatest breadth 

 of the more eastern enlargement is slightly more than 2 feet (65 cm.). 

 The greatest depth of the larger part of the fossa is 25^ inches (64 cm.), 

 while that of the smaller portion is only 14 inches (36 cm.). The 

 sides are slightly sloping, the cavity growing smaller toward the 

 bottom. The greatest depth of the depression below the former 

 surface of the soil, estimated on the before-explained basis, was not 

 far from 4 feet (1.25 m., more or less), a very common depth for an 

 ordinary burial; it could, in fact, hardly be less with bodies interred 

 in the contracted position. 



In the cavity and its immediate vicinity were found numerous little 

 stones, some of which yielding red coloring matter were shown later to 

 be impure ocher, while a few others were a white mineral pigment. 

 According to the gardener and the sailor's boy, these lay with one of 

 the skeletons ; if so, they can represent only "paint" stones that were 

 buried with one of the bodies. 



These few crude pigment stones, to wliich no attention was paid 

 when the skeletal parts were removed, are objects of paramount 

 importance in considering the problem of antiquity of the remains. 

 They afford strong evidence of the fact that these were burials, and are 

 also a proof of the use of such pigments, whether for adornment or 

 other purposes, and of a l^elief in a future existence, in which the 

 paints would be of use as in the present life. All this signifies a cer- 

 tain grade of culture entirely incompatible with "the first Tiomo, 

 not to say even a prothomo,^^ of Ameghino; moreover, it is in harmony 

 with a widespread practice among the Indians, though more usually 

 paint is buried with the man than with the woman. 



Besides the pigment stones there are found on or in the earth 

 formerly thrown out from the grave a tooth and the piece of a jaw 

 containing several teeth, which are taken by Professor Ameghino; 

 also a midtUe cuneiform, secured for the United States National 

 Museum. All these pieces, especially tke teeth, resemble in a remark- 

 able degree fairly recent bones, and the specimen brought by the 

 writer is as rich in animal matter as any Indian bone from the more 

 modern, even post-Columbian burials. 



The presence of undoubted Pleistocene, or possibly even older 

 fossils in the floor of the "skeleton playa," at about the same level 

 as the human bones, can afford no criterion whatever for determining 

 the antiquity of the latter for, as repeatedly pointed out in other parts 

 of this paper, a grave may penetrate any unconsolidated strata, 

 whatsoever their geologic antiquity or paleontologic contents. It 

 may even happen that fossil bones dug out in making the grave 



