HOLMES] THE PINY BRANCH QUARRIES 41 



Between the fortieth and the fortyeighth foot tlie trench crossed, at 

 about 3 feet from the surface, what had been a pit or transverse trench 

 with sloping sides, between 2 and 3 feet deep. This had been filled 

 with material previously worked over and containing much shop refuse. 

 Tlie character and relations of the deposits are well shown in the 

 sections and photographs presented herewith. 



The upper figure in plate vii represents a detailed study of the con- 

 tents of the ancient pit as seen in the left wall of the excavation. Of 

 this interesting exposure it was inii)racticable to obtain ])hotographs, 

 since the cutting was too narrow to permit the use of the camera; but 

 the drawing was carefully made, and being supplemented by jihoto- 

 graphs of the face of the cutting at the fortieth and also at the forty- 

 fourth foot, serves to assist in giving a satisfactorj- idea of the leading 

 characteristics of the deposits. The bottom of the depression had been 

 somewhat uneven when the filliug-in began. The material, most of 

 which consisted of fractured or partially flaked bowlders, had accu- 

 mulated rapidly, and for a depth of 3 or 4 feet contained only a very 

 small percentage of sand, clay, and gravel. Scattered over the bot- 

 tom and sides was a layer of light, coarse sand which had descended 

 from above and partially filled in the spaces between the bowlders 

 and fragments; and throughout the mass, where the interspaces were 

 filled at all, it was chiefly by coarse sand, small pebbles, and the flakes 

 from the manufacture of implements. 



A very decided bedding of these coarse materials was apparent, its 

 curves following and repeating tho.se of the bottom of the dejiression, 

 but diminishing toward the surface. In the stratum of finer material 

 overlying the coarser contents of the pit and in the dark loam of the 

 surface there was also a slight sagging and thickening, indicating that 

 the obliteration of the pit had been but recently accomplished. 



It was observed that the distribution of the filling materials was 

 unequal, the coarser gravel and larger bowlders being lodged at the 

 left in the section, which was the lower side of the ancient pit (rt,]date vii). 

 This was to be expected, for the source of supply of filling debris was 

 from above, and as the tool maker worked over the material upon the 

 slope the heavier pieces rolled down until stoi)ped by irregularities of 

 the surface. It was also noticed that the percentage of flakes and fail- 

 ures was greatest at the left side of the depression from the fortyfirst 

 to the fortysixth foot, where the flakers, it would appear, must have 

 occupied the pit margins. 



That the work was done ou this spot, and that little subsequent dis- 

 tribution Las taken place, is clearly seen, as the failures and broken 

 tools often lie together with the flakes struck from them. It is safe to 

 conclude also that the accumulation was rapid. The accumulation of 

 the finer and more compact bed overljdng the contents of the pit was 

 probably slower and was no doubt due partially to natural slope agen- 

 cies, though it contains a large percentage of worked material: the darker 



