2°26 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 177 
several places by animal burrowing, and a depression on one side 
suggested previous excavation. Shell, ash, and bones were en- 
countered in all parts of the site. A 2- by 1-meter cut was placed 
in the summit and carried to a depth of 1.50 meters, at which depth it 
was no longer practical to dig in so small a hole, owing to the necessity 
of using a pick on the hard compact refuse. To test the entire midden 
to its core, however, overlapping test holes were dug on each meter 
down to sterile ground. These demonstrated that the midden was a 
4-meter-thick accumulation of shell refuse resting on a natural knoll 
of medium-gray clay that rose about a meter above the surrounding 
low swamp. 
Cut 1, dug in 8-cm. levels, had the following characteristics: 
Level .00-.08 m__ Black loose humus containing few shells. 
Level .08-.16 m__ Badly broken, pulverized shells and crab claws inter- 
mixed with ash; fish and human bones scattered in 
refuse ; compact masses of shell cemented together. 
Level .16-.24 m__ Same conditions. 
Level .24-.82 m__ Entire level compacted into hard layers 2-5 cm. thick; 
some dirt mixed in the refuse. Majority of shells are 
mussels and clams with some striped snail (Neritina) ; 
crab claws and carapaces also very common. 
Level .82—.40 m__ Mussel shells pulverized into fine, flaky particles inter- 
mixed with dirt and ash; occasionally the shell refuse is 
cemented into large hunks. 
Level .40—.48 m__ Same conditions. 
Level .48-.56 m_. More dirt mixed with shell than in previous level; other- 
wise conditions the same. 
Level .56—64 m__ Same as previous level. 
Level .64-—.72 m__ Similar conditions to above. 
Level .72-.80 m__ Refuse less compacted and without cemented layers. 
Level .80—.88 m__ Same conditions. 
Level .88—96 m__ Pulverized shell intermixed with ash, dirt and fire-burnt 
stones suggests a hearth. 
Level 0.96-1.04 m_. Dirt more abundant; a dark-gray loam intermixed 
with finely pulverized shell. 
Level 1.04-1.12 m__ Same conditions. 
Level 1.12-1.20 m__ Light-gray soil with tiny fragments of shell and fine 
ash. 
Level 1.20-1.27 m__ Hard layer of cemented shell. 
Level 1.27-1.50 m_. More abundant shell refuse below the cemented layer, 
with much of the shell in whole fragments rather 
than pulverized ; soil light-tan to gray. 
Cut 1 was not carried below this depth owing to the problems of 
digging, explained previously. The other tests were not controlled 
by levels but it was observed that the same general conditions con- 
tinued to the bottom of the deposit. Broken stones occurred through- 
out and were saved to be examined later in the laboratory for traces of 
use. 
