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PRELIMINAEY NOTE UPON TPIE DISCOVERY OF 



A NUMBER OF TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL 



REMAINS AT EAGLEHAWK NECK. 



By Clive E. Lokd, 

 Curator of the Tasmaniaii Museum. 



On the eve cf this issue of the Papers and Proceed- 

 ings going to press a singular discovery of Tasmanian 

 Aboriginal remains was made. Its importance appeared 

 to the Council of the Society to warrant the publication 

 of a short preliminary note, and I was accorded the honour 

 'of placing a few facts relating to this discovery on record. 



On January 15, 1919, Mr. T. I. Brister called at the 

 Museum in order to have several pieces of bone identified. 

 These proved to be human, and as far as could be judged 

 from the small fragments they appeared to be aboriginal. 

 Owing to the fact that Mr. Brister stated that there were 

 numerous similar bones buried in the sand hills where he 

 had obtained the fragments it was resolved to pay an 

 immediate visit to the site. 



Upon arrival at Eaglehawk Neck, in compan}? with 

 Mr. Brister and Mr. W. H. Clemes, I found that a slight 

 sandslip had occurred on the south-eastern face of one of 

 the large sand dunes forming Eaglehawk Neck. A number 

 of small bones appeared on the surface, and after collecting 

 these a start was made to examine below tile surface. 

 Upon excavation a number of larger bones and several 

 skulls were revealed. Owing to the fact that the dun© in 

 question was covered with Boobialla {Myoporum insulare^ 

 and the roots in many cases completely filled the cavities 

 of the bones, the task of exhuming these relics of a by- 

 gone race was one of considerable difficulty. The work 

 was made more so as we were excavating along the slope 

 of the sand dune, which caiised periodical downfalls of 

 sand. Added to this, the bones, owing to their burial 

 in the sand for probably a century, were exceedingly 

 brittle. Many were completely decayed, but others were 

 in a perfect state of preservation. Until the task of re- 

 legating the various fragments to their correct positions 

 is completed and a. detailed examination is made it is im- 

 possible to enter into details. A superficial examination 



