BULL. 30] 



COLLECTING 



323 



the following points are essential: (1) 

 Accurate location of the site on a map; 

 (2) photographs of site; (3) plan, with 

 measurement of areas to be worked; (4) 

 stakes or datum marks placed; (5) re- 

 moval of debris and location of specimens 

 with reference to datum marks with the 

 aid of camera and pencil; (6) field mmi- 

 bers on specimens and references to these 

 numbers in the notebook; (7) care of 

 specimens after collecti(jn. 



Mounds are explored by means of 

 trenches and then stripped of the upper 

 part, which rarely contains anything of 

 importance, but the contour of the mound 

 is noted and one or more sections plotted. 

 When the zone of deposits is reached a 

 layer of earth is removed. The aspect of 

 skeletons and other objects exposed is 

 recorded and photographed and their po- 

 sition marked . Village sites near mounds 

 are prolific in material illustrating the 

 life of the former oi-cupants. In the 

 alluvial soil of the prairie states, wherever 

 mounds abound such sites may be located 

 by sounding the earth with an iron rod. 

 The earth i.'-! then stripped off as in a 

 mound, or it may Vje found preferable 

 to excavate by "benching." 



The top soil of a cave should be 

 searched, calcareous deposits, if there be 

 any, broken up and removed, and the 

 underlying soil benched and thrown 

 back, as in a mound. Specimens from 

 different levels below the datum stakes 

 or marks are kept separate. A i)relimi- 

 nary exploration of the cave floor is some- 

 times made by means of test pits. It will 

 be found usually that the front of a cave 

 in the zone of illumination yields most 

 material, and it is essential to examine 

 the talus outside the mouth of a cave if 

 any exists. 



The site of an ancient pueblo is first 

 searched for surface relics, and the ceme- 

 tery is located. It is customary to ascer- 

 tain the limits of the cemetery l)y test 

 excavations and to work it by trenches, 

 throwing the earth back and carefully 

 examining it for small artifacts as the ex- 

 cavation progresses. On account of the 

 unproductiveness of excavation in rooms 

 and the great labor and expense required 

 to remove the debris, no puelilos have 

 been thoroughly explored. Generally a 

 few living rooms and kivas only have 

 beeTi investigated. 



No indication or object is insignificant. 

 In turning up the soil around ancient 

 habitations a decayed fragment of cloth, 

 a wooden implement, or any relic of or- 

 ganic material may extend knowledge. 

 The various offal of debris heaps, such as 

 bones of animals, shells, and seeds, are 

 secured, and an endeavor is made to ob- 

 serve, collect, and record everything that 

 is brought to light. Every site under 



examination demands attention, not 

 merely for what it may yield in tangible 

 results; the environment, with its l)iolog- 

 ical and geological resources, topography, 

 and meteorology, requires to be studied. 

 Notes and collections relating to this 

 subject add much to the clearness of an 

 appreciation of the conditions which 

 ai(led or hampered the develo{)ment of 

 culture in a given locality. The relation 

 of sites one to another, and the grouping 

 or separation of sites in a locality, are 

 necessary subjects of incjuiry, as are the 

 presence or absence in a neighborhood of 

 springs, trails, shrines, detached houses, 

 canals and reservoirs, and i)ictographs. 



Su)natol()f/!/. — Human remains are fre- 

 quently encountered in archeologic work, 

 and such material is carefully collected, 

 every bone ])eing saved if possible. The 

 surface of hard ground may be broken 

 with a pick and the excavation continued 

 with a shovel. As soon as any part of 

 the human skeleton is reached, a short 



ETHOD OF EXHUMING A HUMAN SKELETON. (w. C. MILLs) 



stick, a trowel, and a stiff brush are 

 used for exposing the bones. Often the 

 bones are fragile and should not be lifted 

 out until the earth has been loosened 

 around them. Exposure to sunlight and 

 dry air usually hardens them. The bones 

 of each skeleton should be marked with 

 serial numbers, preferably with an ani- 

 line pencil, and ])acked in some light, 

 elastic material. It is better to pack 

 skulls apart from the rest of the bones. 

 The collection of somatological data on 

 the living requires familiarity with the 

 use of instruments, a knowledge of anat- 

 omy and physiology, and some training 

 in la])oratory work. 



Etiinolog!/. — In this wide field it is 

 necessary to specialize in order to produce 

 effective results. Social organization, 

 customs, language, arts, folklore, and re- 

 ligion each demands adequate time and 

 the closest attention for its study. With 

 the aid of a manual, like "Notes and 

 Queries," used by the Anthropological 

 Institute of Great Britain, the important 



