Jlly 3. 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



27 



zygomatic arch was destroyed. Large por- 

 tions of the occipital and parietal bones were 

 missing, as if the skull had been crushed in 

 killing; there was no evidence of recent 

 change. The smaller skull was the more 

 complete. The distance from occipital ridge 

 to premaxilla was ten and one half inches; 

 from the foramen magnum to the premaxilla, 

 six and one quarter inches ; the zygomatic 

 arches were both br'oken and there was a hole 

 in the occipital and left parietal, as if the 

 animal had been shot. The complete mandi- 

 ble belonging to this skull was found. 



In addition to these two skulls, which are of 

 the black bear, there were parts of four dif- 

 ferent mandibles of the same variety, one of 

 which was a full inch longer than the mandible 

 of the larger skull. The incisors are present 

 in this large mandible, and a number of rudi- 

 mentary premolars were found in several of 

 the mandibles. 



The leg bones of the bears consist of the 

 following: one pair of humeri ten inches 

 long, incomplete, the proximal ends being ab- 

 sent. These two humeri are so similar that 

 I believe that they belonged to the same ani- 

 mal. One right humerus nine inches long, 

 having the proximal ends present; the distal 

 ends of two left humeri ; a left tibia and fibia 

 which are united, and a right tibia that is so 

 similar to the left one that they undoubtedly 

 belonged to the same animal. Judging from 

 the number of humeri, we have at least the 

 remains of three bears and possibly a fourth. 



The deer bones are one incomplete humerus 

 and radius, eight and one half and nine 

 and one half inches, respectively, in length, 

 and a complete ulna eleven and five eighths 

 inches long. These three bones articulate 

 perfectly. One tarsal nine inches long, that 

 articulates with the radius and ulna. A sec- 

 ond set of leg bones that articulate also, in- 

 dicating that they are from the same individ- 

 ual. One humerus eight and one half inches 

 long, the proximal end absent; one radius 

 nine and three fourths inches long, complete; 

 one ulna five and one half inches long, in- 

 complete ; two broken humeri ; three miscel- 

 laneous vertebrae; six ribs, and the part of an 



autler. This would give us the remains of 

 at least two deer. 



All these bones are recent and do not 

 show any evidence of mineralization. The 

 two skulls and the mandibles and leg bones 

 of the deer still show evidence of animal oil, 

 being slightly oily to the touch. The leg 

 bones of the bears are drier than the others 

 and the epiphysial joints are plainly evident 

 when present, but in most of them the artic- 

 ular surface is lost. 



It is difficult, with the few facts at our 

 command, to estimate the age of these bones. 

 I am inclined to think that they are not very 

 old, possibly a hundred years. Until we pos- 

 sess more bones and know more of the geology 

 of the place, any statement concerning their 

 age must be mere conjecture. 



As to the manner in which the b<5nes 

 reached this place, a few suggestions may be 

 made. Onondaga Lake is of glacial origin, 

 like most of the central New York lakes. At 

 each side and south of it, the old valley is 

 filled with glacial debris to a depth of several 

 hundred feet, the present lake beach being 

 some distance from the rock strata that limits 

 the valley. Along the hillsides of the region 

 about Syracuse there is evidence of beaches, 

 showing the limits of the lake in prehistoric 

 times. The place where the bones were ex- 

 humed probably represents a part of the lake 

 previous to its last subsidence. From the 

 scattered condition of the bones it is easy to 

 imagine how they may have been washed 

 down from the banks, being possibly the re- 

 mains of an Indian feast. 



The present collection is of sufficient inter- 

 est to warrant some care in future excavations 

 in the above area. W. !M. Smali.wood. 



Syracuse Untversity, 

 Zoological Laboratory, 

 May 1, 1003. 



BOTANICAL XOTES. 



THE STUDY OF WOOD. 



With the rapid increase in interest in all 

 matters pertaining to forestry, so notable in 

 the past few years, there has been a corre- 

 sponding increase in the number of books 

 devoted to some phase of the subject. The 



