ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHN


paper. I will first discuss the two available stratigraphic tests at
the large Magens Bay site and then make comments in the surface
collections from the other sites in terms of the stratigraphic trends
at Magens Bay.

 Excavations at .Magens Bay

 There have been several fairly extensive excavations at Magclln
Bay (Fig. 4) but their results have never been adequately pre-
sented to science. Theodoor de Booy (1917) investigated the
Magens Bay site in the winter of 1916-17. He describes the mid-
den as semilunar in shape, 75 by 30 feet in size, and nearly 10 feet
thick at the highest point (de Booy 1919: 26-42). While I would
agree about the shape and width, I believe de Booy minimized
the length and exaggerated the depth.
 De Booy dug in the highest part of the midden and delineated
three zones: a sterile surface layer about 2 feet thick, an upper black
midden zone rich in artifacts and sometimes 31/2 feet thick, a lower
and slightly lighter colored midden zone which also contained
artifacts and was in places 4 feet thick. Below was sterile, clean,
beach sand. Two burials were found in the lower midden stratum
and nine in the underlying white sand. While clay vessels were
found with some interments, no other burial goods were present.
 De Booy (1919: 29) states that while the mound appeared to
represent two occupations "the objects found in the third layer
did not differ materially in their types from those found in the
second layer." His (1919: 60-87) section on pottery describes and
illustrates vessels from Magens Bay and from the Salt River site
on St. Croix. Among those identified as from Magcienl Bay are
Botany Plain straight and convex rim bowls, Botany Lugged, Botany
rim points and boat-shaped vessels, Botany Narrow Handled, Botany
Adorned subtypes 3 and 4, red-painted bowls and dishes, and Botany
and Bordeaux Painted Plates. Presence of MAlaguI and of Bay paste
may be inferred from de Booy's comments. He also mentions large
numbers of fragments of cassava griddles and spindle whorls made
from sherds.
 De Booy's report is the first and the most complete in print on
the Magens Bay site. His collection does not seem to contain any