[11] COLLECTING ANTHROPOLOGICAL INFORMATION HRDLICKA. 



white, who die in the public institutions or are relegated to the morgue 

 or dissecting room. 



The question in all these ca?es is the utilization of inert and other- 

 wise useless remains for the best interests of humanity in general. 



III. — -SKELETAL MATERIAL OF ANCIENT PEOPLES AND OP EARLY MAN. 



Under this heading we approach a field in which are demanded from 

 the collector freedom from preconceived opinions, the utmost care, 

 and often considerable knowledge and experience. The further back 

 in time we recede from the actual period, the more essential become 

 the preservation of the specimens and of all objects associated with 

 them, and the correct localization of all with reference to geological 

 formations. The very existence, besides the period, of early man, in 

 any part of the world, depends on proofs of geological character. 



The osteological remains of tribes or peoples who lived within the 

 last three or four thousand years, are met with in fair abundance, at 

 least in certain localities. They are found in tombs, in the rooms or 

 under the floors of ruined dwellings, in mounds, caves, rock crevices, 

 or mines, and in more or less ordinary burials. 



The bones are best preserved in dr}" caves, least so in exposed 

 graves. When the latter are opened the bones are often found in 

 such condition that it is impossible to preserve them; but occasionalh^ 

 with special care something of value can be saved. 



Not seldom the indications of the presence of old human remains, 

 particularly in our Southwest, are protruding slabs of stone, or numerous 

 potsherds of better class of pottery. Mounds and caves always 

 demand exploration, for if they have not been disturbed there is 

 usuall}^ no surface sign to show whether or not they contain burials. 

 Where there are signs of sedentary people, it ma}^ be expected to find 

 at least a part of the burials somewhere near, and clustered. The 

 existence of the custom of cremation in a certain region does not pre- 

 clude the possibilit}' of finding limited numbers of non-cremated rem- 

 nants of bodies in the same I'egion and from the same people. 



All exploration for the skeletal remains of earl}^ man should be 

 intrusted to thoroughly trained men only. The value of such remains 

 depends entirely upon the circumstantial evidence of the find. Yet 

 any educated man can, if an opportunity arises, do a great service to 

 science by calling the attention of trained anthropologists or geol- 

 ogists to finds that seem to indicate the presence of early man. 



It is impossible to indicate with any degree of probability the loca- 

 tions of such earl}^ remnants. The bones of paleolithic man of Europe 

 are mainly discovered in caves. In such a case it becomes of impor- 

 tance to examine all the caves in the region, or at least all those 

 dating from the same epoch. In general, all older wind, alluvial, 

 and glacial deposits deserve attention. 



