32 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 177 
contained Veritina zebra Bruguiére, Crassostrea rhizophorae Guild- 
ing, Z’hais coronata Lamarck, and Melongena melongena Linné. 
N-11: HOSORORO CREEK 
Driving from the Government headquarters at Mabaruma in a 
southwesterly direction, one comes to the Northwest District Govern- 
ment Agricultural Station on the top of Hosororo Hill. This hill, on 
the left bank of the Aruka River, is one of the highest in the area. 
Hosororo Creek flows down the hillside in a series of cascades to the 
flat. bottom lands between the foot of the hill and the Aruka River 
(figs. 4, 22). This low area has been cleared of mangrove trees and 
drained for agricultural purposes by means of deep ditches. Where 
Hosororo Creek makes a sharp curve, it cuts into the left bank ex- 
posing a large quantity of shell midden refuse, rocks, chips, some 
sherds, and a few human skeletal fragments. By sporadic testing, as 
well as checking the soil discoloration, and the presence of shells in 
the cultivated areas and drainage ditches, the midden was found to 
cover an oval area extending inward from the left bank of Hosororo 
Creek roughly 35 meters wide and 47 meters long. The front edge 
of the midden is 100 meters back from the Aruka River and the op- 
posite flank of the midden is 70 meters from the foot of Hosororo 
Hill (fig. 21). During low tide, Hosororo Creek has only 8 to 10 
em. of water, but at high tide depth increases to about 1 meter. The 
original height of the midden cannot be determined with accuracy 
today because the embouldering and the agricultural activity has 
leveled the area considerably and there has been a sinking of the 
heavy midden refuse into the soft muck beneath. Today the midden 
area is only 75 em. higher than the adjacent land on the west end and 
1 meter higher on the northeast end. In addition to making a surface 
collection from the cultivated area and the exposed, eroding bank, a 
small strata cut, 1 by 1 meter dug in 25-cm. levels, was placed in the 
approximate center of the midden. The deposit had the following 
features: 
Level 25 em__. Disturbed from garden use and drainage ditch con- 
struction. Soil a black muck with reddish tinge below 
15 em. Stone chips and stone artifacts are fairly 
common; shells rare. 261 sherds were collected from 
the surface and 5S from the level. 
Level 23-50 em... Soil a dark, reddish brown. Stone chips abundant as 
well as lots of natural iron concretions washed down 
from the lateritice soil of Hosorero Hill. 214 petsherds 
came from this level; all badly eroded. At 30 cm. the 
soil with its natural rock inclusions and the midden 
refuse are cemented inte a hard conglomerate in which 
the sherds, artifacts, etc. are embedded. This con- 
tinues until 45 cm.; from 45 to 50 em. the refuse is 
loose and uncemented. 
