Bowman — Geologic Relations of the Ctizco Remains. 309 



upon one not only by the rigid demands of scientific method 

 but also because failure to collect and interpret all data bearing 

 on the problem may lead to unsatisfactory conclusions and has 

 in fact cast doubt on the authenticity of one after another of 

 the reported discoveries of human remains. It is, therefore, 

 essential that the structure and composition of the deposits, 

 the conditions of burial, and the physiographic history of the 

 region be discussed in detail. 



If human remains were common in hard rock of Tertiary or 

 Cretaceous age the case would be quite different. The in- 

 durated rock would show such clear signs of disturbance in 

 case of burial as to leave no one in doubt ; the lapse of time 

 after deposition would be so great that a certain degree of 

 fossilization would have resulted ; morphological differences 

 between the buried bones and the bones of existing forms 

 would be distinguishable ; associated fossils would supply col- 

 lateral evidence as to age. But in America the conditions are 

 far from this ideal. Human remains are always reported from 

 loose surface material ; if the material is gravel the question of 

 stratification arises ; even if the remains are interstratified they 

 show no prominent variations from existing types ; and in 

 almost all cases no other fossils accompany the remains to 

 throw light upon their geologic relations. 



Interstratification of Bones and Gravel. 



The coarse gravels in which the Cuzco man was found are 

 rudely stratified in places; in other places they are very 

 markedly stratified. The stratification at the precise locality 

 where the bones lay was coarse though the pebbles range in 

 size from a pea to a walnut and are mixed with ordinary yellow 

 quartz sand. The bones themselves formed part of a stratum 

 of slightly finer material, and occurred in the form of a layer 

 about ten feet long and six inches thick (fig. 6). Stratification 

 within the limits of the six-inch layer was observed. It shows 

 clearly in the photograph, fig. 5. 



Not only were the gravels about and within the six-inch 

 layer disposed in a stratified manner but the bones themselves 

 were in positions signifying natural deposition by water rather 

 than artificial deposition through human burial. With refer- 

 ence to a vertical plane they lay in a jumbled state ; all were 

 essentially flat with reference to a horizontal plane. One rib 

 lay at the extreme right end of the ten-foot limit, another at 

 the extreme left. Mixed with the human remains were bones 

 of a bison, a wolf, and a llama. There can be no question of 

 the plain facts in the case as regards interstratification. 



