The molecular integrity of the collagen molecule was studied in fossil bones. Significant degradation was found in all cases when material extracted from fossil bones was compared with that extracted from modern bone. Intact alpha chains and Type I collagen cyanogen bromidepeptides were seen in two of the samples. Apparently, in fossil bones there is complex diagenesis of the collagen molecule in which the stabilizing and destabilizing forces are not fully under-stood. See also 16-1883. -- AATA