in Florida in Association toith Extinct Vertebrates. 17 



Summary. 



That the human bones found in the older stream deposits at 

 Vero belong with and are a part of the fauna with which they 

 are associated, and were not placed in the bed by human burial 

 is supported by the following observations : A part only of the 

 skeleton Avas present; the sand in which the bones were 

 imbedded had not been disturbed, nor had the overlying cover- 

 ing of hard rock been removed ; the human bones are thoroughly 

 mineralized, agreeing in this respect with the bones of the asso- 

 ciated Pleistocene vertebrates ; the scapula and astragalus of 

 a deer common to this and the succeeding river deposits were 

 found in immediate association with the human bones ; bones 

 of the sloth, Megalonyx jeffersonii, and teeth of the mastodon, 



Fig. 12. 



Fig. 12. Fragment of a bird bone showing markings which were appar- 

 ently made by a tool. Natural size. A tip of a proboscidian tusk obtained 

 at the same place shows markings which by their regularity of spacing 

 may indicate design. Both specimens were taken in place at the base of 

 bed no. 2 of the section as shown in fig. 2. 



Mammut americanum, have been found in the canal bank at 

 this place showing, together with evidence based on the texture 

 and appearance of the sand, that there is no break in the 

 continuity of the stratum holding the Pleistocene fossils. 



That the human bones found in the newer fmviatile deposits 

 in this valley do not represent a human burial, but are contem- 

 poraneous with the fauna with which they are associated, is 

 shown by the entire similarity in the manner of deposition and 

 preservation of the bones ; that the associated fossils were not 

 washed in from some older deposits is shown by the fact that 

 the bones are not in the least eroded, rounded or water-worn. 



Aside from the change in the fauna the time interval since 

 the human skeletons became lodged in the stream bed is meas- 

 ured by the accumulation of the overlying fluviatile deposits. 

 The aggrading of the stream valley as a whole since the later 

 of the two skeletons became entombed includes an accumulation 

 over the whole valley of an average of about two feet of 

 vegetable material and sand. Inasmuch as the streams tribu- 



Am. Jour. Scr.— Fourth Series, Vol. XLIT, No. 247. — July, 1916. 



9 



