Report on the Excavation of Mastodon Remains. 5 



shell of the ram's-horn oyster (Exogyra arietina). On the south 

 and east the flat is bordered by a slight rise in the ground, with 

 underlying limestone. This tract is a shallow basin, as evi- 

 denced by its becoming in large part converted into a pond after 

 a heavy rain. The maximum depth of the water is then about 18 

 inches, the excess flowing off toward the northeast. 



Some three years ago Mr. Brucks excavated, near the deep- 

 est portion of the basin, a tank measuring about 40x100 feet, 

 with a maximum depth of six feet (Plate I). Wishing to deter- 

 mine whether the underlying materials were impervious to water, 

 Mr. Brucks dug a test hole, and in so doing unearthed the first 

 mastodon remains discovered in this locality. Mr. Brucks pos- 

 sessed the good judgment to return the fossils to their long rest- 

 ing place and refill the hole, hoping thus to prevent the rapid 

 disintegration of these remains as well as of any others that 

 might be lying near by. 



EXCAVATION OF THE FOSSILS. 



Our party promptly began excavating, although the heat was 

 intense in the bottom of the tank, and there was no shade near 

 by- Laying off our coats, we worked by turns, removing a 

 black waxy earth, just wet enough to make it stick to our tools. 

 As a rule, the shovel had to be cleaned after the removal of 

 each shovelful of mud. Naturally there was soon a great de- 

 mand for water, and this was kindly supplied by Mr. Brucks 

 from his well, but it proved to be impure, by the tests of both 

 sight and taste, probably being seepage water from the pond. 

 Under the circumstances we were not disposed to be hypercrit- 

 ical, however, and partook freely at short intervals. After de- 

 scending about two feet we struck a layer of grayish clay, which 

 we found nearly as hard to work in as the black soil. We had 

 been encouraged meanwhile by the discovery of several small 

 fragments of bone. 



The members of the committee had hoped to be able to return 

 to San Antonio on the same day, and Col. Pitman now an- 

 nounced that he was obliged to return on the evening train. 

 The time of departure to catch this train was drawing near, and 

 yet no fossils worth mentioning had been found. Finally, when 

 we saw that we could tarry no longer, the person in the hole 



