19 13 J Stoner: Pleistocene Bone Deposits of Rancho La Brea 391 



present. Aside from the sloth material bones of large animals 

 were rare. Along one side of the pocket parts of many rodents, 

 birds and other small animals were found. These remains were 

 in a more sticky matrix and had probably been caught and 

 entombed in the tar chimney at a relatively recent date. Very 

 near the surface in a soft, sticky mass there were a large number 

 of these small bones. This pocket reached its maximum size at 

 eight feet, and from there to thirteen feet it narrowed clown to 

 a small area where bones were rare. 



Locality 2052. — When work was begun at this locality there 

 was a small mass of asphalt exposed, which contained few bones. 

 After clearing the surface around this exposure another pocket 

 was located immediately to the south. In the first pocket the 

 matrix was sandy, dry, and contained many twigs and small 

 limbs. Here the bird and rodent bones were plentiful. There 

 were a few horse and coyote remains, and one camel bone was 

 found. The dire wolf and sabre-tooth tiger were absent. In 

 the other pocket the bones were those of birds and rodents, 

 excepting a few antelope and coyote specimens. In this pocket 

 the bones were embedded in a sticky matrix containing little 

 sand and having a recent appearance. At a depth of four feet 

 this pocket narrowed down to a foot in width and the bones dis- 

 appeared. These two pockets are joined, but are united only 

 within a foot of the surface. The more recent exudation of oil 

 which took place in the second pocket flowed toward the first, 

 and so joined them in rather recent time. Each of the pockets 

 extended to a depth of four feet and there disappeared. Further 

 excavation showed no evidence of another pocket below. Judg- 

 ing from the nature of the matrix and the size of the pockets, 

 the bones seem to be very young, and the second pocket where 

 the antelope was found is possibly Recent; but the first pocket, 

 which has a more sandy matrix and generally a much older 

 aspect, is probably Pleistocene. This idea is supported by the 

 the finding of a camel metapodial in this area. 



