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64 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 33 
ha ances ee al 
light any human bones, but there were found in different places, em- 
bedded in the grayish rock of varying degrees of hardness, many 
recent shells, including, especially, numerous oyster shells, a few 
pieces of partially mineralized animal bones (deer astralagus and cal- 
caneum) that showed no attrition, as do the old fossils, a conch shell 
of a living species with ferruginous concretionary matter adhering to — 
it much like that in the case of the Osprey skull, and, finally, roots of — 
a burnt pine, still lying on the beach, about which the concretion was 
in process of formation. (Plate rx.) Everything seen strengthened 
the impression that the solid deposits visible are largely if not 
wholly of recent formation. While these rocks where exposed are 
being slowly disintegrated by the action of the waves, in all proba- 
bility they are actually forming in other localities, as about the 
above-mentioned pine roots. All the waters in the district, even 
those of artesian origin, are more or less mineralized; they sink 
readily through the surface soil into the underlying sand, but can not 
penetrate so easily into the clayey layer beneath. The result, pos- 
sibly furthered by some chemical affinity of the sand, is a gradual 
deposition of mineral, principally ferruginous, matter, which in the 
course of time becomes sufficient in some places to cement into hard 
rock the sand and whatever the latter contains. The mineralogical 
conditions seem to favor also in an extraordinary way the infiltra- 
tion of the bones and even replacement of their normal constituents, — 
the latter process constituting fossilization. This is, at least, the sum 
of the unbiased impressions carried away by the writer as a result 
of the examination of the Osprey and South Osprey formations from 
which fossil human bones have been obtained. These impressions, 
the result of independent personal observations, are fortunately sup- 
plemented by the more expert observations embodied in the report of 
Doctor Vaughan, transmitted to the Chief of the Bureau of American 
Ethnology by the Director of the United States Geological Survey. 
The essential portion of Doctor Vaughan’s report follows: 
REPORT OF DR. T. WAYLAND VAUGHAN 
Osprey is situated on a narrow tongue of land rising some 15 to 20 feet. above 
sea level, about one-third of a mile long and from 100 to 150 feet wide. The 
ridge of the tongue is formed by an Indian shell mound. There is an Indian 
burial mound at its base, on its northeast side, and about one-fourth of a mile 
east of Osprey. Portions of a skeleton enveloped and partly replaced by limon- 
ite were found at this locality. Doctor Hrdlitka had a pit about 33 feet deep 
dug at this place, and exposed the following section : 
4. Black: soilleabouts. = 2222s 20058 ee ee 1 foot. 
3°(Grayish or white sand vabo tse. se ee eee 2 feet. 
2. Irregular bed of yellowish sand, continuous with the 
aboviest 223. mle ee ee ae ee ae ee eee, A few inches. 
1. Greenish, argillaceous, and sandy layer-_---=-~-_______ Thickness unknown. 
The yellowish sand is the layer in which the skeleton was found, 
