AND OTHER CAVES, SHOWING MANNER AND AMOUNT OF
WEAR]

Near the surface, 18 feet from the entrance, 14 feet from the east
wall, were the right half of a skull and of a lower jaw; a few small,
scattered pieces of skull were found near them. The teeth were much
worn, some of them were decayed, and two had the roots swollen and
distorted by ulceration. South of the skull were fragments of feet and
leg bones, probably belonging with it. This interment was of much
later date than the others.

Thirty-two feet from the front, 16 feet from the east wall, 21/2 feet
below the surface, and a foot above the bottom of the talus, was a
folded skeleton, on left side, head toward the interior of the cave,
face directly upward. So much of the skull as could be recovered is
shown in plate 17, a, b. The teeth were much worn, the bones broken,
soft and spongy, falling away with the clay as it was removed from
about them. The femur was about 171/2 inches long.

[Illustration: FIG. 10.--Flints from Sell Cave.]

Wear of teeth among aboriginal people does not of necessity denote a
great age for the individual. Grit from ashes and fine sand from
mortars and pestles will cut away the enamel to a much greater extent
than would result from the use of ordinary food.

The condition of the teeth mentioned, as well as of some from other
localities, is shown in plates 18 and 19.

From the inner end of the ditch, or runway, at the entrance the
excavation was carried back for 40 feet in a direct line; or making
allowance for passing around a massive rock which was in a position
where it could not be blasted, for 43 feet; the depth of the talus
here was 3 feet.

On the east side the talus was removed to the wall, a distance of 28
feet from the edge of the trench, and the wall rock exposed for 22
feet, to the rear bank of the excavation.

* * * * *

All work, so far, had been carried on at a level a few inches below
the bottom of the talus, which rested directly upon the floor of clay
washed out from the interior of the cave.

Beginning next at the outer end of the trench, the entire space
included in the first excavation was deepened by a little more than 6
feet, giving a new floor about 13 feet lower than the highest part of
the talus. All the material thus removed showed that it was laid down
by flowing water, sometimes so quiet as to deposit clay of impalpable
fineness, sometimes with a velocity sufficient