RECORDS OF MEETIXOS 4(J| 



gated with great care one stone inclosure (juego cli bolas) in the Jobo 

 district and a cave near by. The latter contained some ceremonial objects 

 and a small number of burials. In the cave were found large numbers of 

 bones of an extinct rodent that may have been used for food. 



Messrs. Mason and Aitken excavated a large cave in Caguana, Utuado, 

 which proved to be the burial ground of an ancient community. Here 

 also a large number of bones of extinct rodents were found. At the foot 

 of the hill in which the cave is situated were found terraces and inclos- 

 ures, evidence of the existence of an ancient village, to which undoubtedly 

 the cave belonged. 



After the cave had been cleared out complete!}', Messrs. Aitken and 

 Mason took up a preliminary investigation of a village site at Capa, lo- 

 cated by the writer, that seemed of particular interest. For the present 

 half year the committee has contributed considerable funds for research 

 at this site, which proves to be by far the most important of all archaeo- 

 logical localities so far investigated in Porto Eico. Dr. Mason has been 

 carrying on work there throughout this half year, with the exception of a 

 period of about four weeks. He closed his field work on the 15th of De- 

 cember, although not more than about one third of the whole site has 

 been excavated. An accurate survey of the site is being made. 



The locality seems to be so important that it ought to be preserved, 

 and I trust that the Government of Porto Eico may find it possible to 

 protect it temporarily by detailing a policeman to watch it, and perma- 

 nently by acquiring the site as a national monument. 



4. BOTAXY 

 By I'rofessor X. L. Brittox 



Botanical exploration was continued at the end of 1914 by Professor 

 IST. Wille, of the University of Christiania, Xorway, an expert in the study 

 of fresh-water and aerial algae, who was sent to Porto Eico under the 

 auspices of the Xew York Botanical Garden. He made large collections 

 of these minute or microscopic plants, which proved to be unexpectedly 

 numerous and about which very little was previously known in the Amer- 

 ican tropics. His collections show that several hundred species inhabit 

 Porto Eico, many of them entirely new to science, including several unde- 

 scribed genera. Subsequent studies of the vast collections made by him, 

 comprised in over 2,000 field numbers and including 10,000 specimens or 

 more, will require much time and will l)e a noteworthy contribution to 

 biology. Professor Wille was subsequently joined by his wife and they 

 remained on the island until March, lOl"). 



