518 DISCOYEBY OF INDIAN REMAINS, COUNTY NORFOLK. 



eton, it is advisable for the explorer, where he can do it, without 

 great inconvenience, to pursue the final process of laying it 

 bare, by proceeding from the feet towards the head. No parts 

 of an ancient uncoffined skeleton are so difficult to recover perfect 

 and complete as the bones of the hands and feet ; but these are fre- 

 quently portions of considerable moment. The small size of tbe hands 

 has been noted by Mr. Stephens as characteristic of the ancient tem- 

 ple builders of Yucatan, and the same feature has been observed in re- 

 ference both to the hands and the feet, in various primitive races. In 

 seeking to exhume these, as well as the larger bones, they ought not to 

 be moved from the inclosing soil when they indicate the slightest 

 fragility, until the earth has been cautiously removed all round them 

 so as to admit of their being lifted out. "Where the skull has been 

 fractured, or any of the bones of the face are displaced by the pres- 

 sure of the earth, every fragment should be carefully collected ; and 

 if the soil has been damp, or the bones are rendered soft by moisture, 

 they should be exposed to the sun, before being wrapped up in paper. 



Care must also be taken to note all the circumstances attendant 

 on the discovery, which are likely to throw any light on the charac- 

 teristics of the race, their mode of sepulture, their arts, or customs ; 

 due discrimination being made between the contents of the different 

 sepulchral deposits, when more than one has been explored. No- 

 thing should be trusted to memory, but all the facts noted at the 

 moment and on the spot. Some of the most important facts to be 

 observed are : the position of the body : whether lying at full length, 

 on the back or side, or with the knees bent or drawn up ; also, the 

 direction of the body, and the position of the head in relation to the 

 points of the compass. 



The nature and relative position of any relics, such as urns, imple- 

 ments, weapons, &c, should next be carefully noted ; and among 

 such, particular attention is to be paid to animal remains, such as the 

 bones and skulls, horns or teeth, of beasts, birds, and fishes, and ma- 

 rine or fresh-water shells. It is a common fashion among savage 

 tribes to hold a burial feast over the grave of the dead, and such rel- 

 ics may tend to throw considerable light on the habits of the people, 

 as well as on the period to which they belong. 



In transmitting ancient skulls, they should be first wrapped up in 

 paper — an old newspaper will be found the most suitable for the 

 purpose. Where there are detached pieces, each should be put in a 

 separate wrapper. The whole may then be placed in a box with hay, 

 which furnishes an inclosure sufficiently elastic to protect the most 

 fragile bones from injury during carriage. 



