ADDENDA 



Mineralization of the Bones 



The " fossilization "' of the human bones from the Vero deposits 

 is, as already mentioned, somewhat unequal. On attaining permis- 

 sion from Dr. Sellards, two fragments of fair size, one from the 

 Vero Skeleton I, designated No. 5201, and the other from Skeleton 

 II, designated No. G957, were subjected for chemical analysis to 

 Dr. E. T. Wherry, assistant curator, Department of Geology, United 

 States National JNluseum. Besides these, Dr. Wherry was given 

 part of a recently received Indian humerus from the Perico Island, 

 Tampa Bay, Florida ; part of a rib from the mineralized skeleton 

 from near Osprey, west coast of Florida, for many years in the 

 possession of the National Museum; and part of an ulna from an old 

 surface communal burial on one of the keys off Little Sarasota Bay, 

 Florida. This last specimen, taken entirely at random, Avas to serve 

 as a " trial horse " for Dr. Wherry ; but as its analysis proved to 

 be uncommonly interesting, it is included in the report. 



The results of the analyses show a difference in mineralization 

 between the bones representing the two Vero skeletons. They show 

 the presence in both of considerable organic matter. They differ 

 quite markedly from those made for Dr. Sellards. 



A comparison of the results with those pertaining to the three 

 bones of undoubted Indian derivation and antiquity measurable only 

 by a few hundreds of years, shows that one of these is much more 

 mineralized than either of those from Vero; one, that taken at 

 random from our collection, A^ery closely approximates the bone 

 from Skeleton II; while the third shows somewhat lesser clianges. 



It is plain there is nothing in the results of these analyses that 

 would point to any great antiquity of the Vero specimens. 



Report on the Analysis of the Bones, by Edgar T. Wheruy 



" The fragments submitted showed more or less admixture of sand 

 and clay ; these impurities were removed as fully as possible without 

 destroying any notable amount of bone substance, and the bones were 

 powdered in an agate mortar and analyzed as follows : 



" For determination of all constituents except fluorine a 0.4-gram 

 sample of each specimen was weighed out, heated for 2 or 3 hours at 

 110°, and the loss in weight recorded as moisture. The sample was 

 then ignited for an hour over a complete combustion burner, and the 



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