270 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS. 



able, in the ordinary sense of the term, would be no exag- 

 geration. They may literally be numbered by thousands and 

 tens of thousands." They are usually from six to eight feet 

 in height ; generally stand outside the enclosures ; are often 

 isolated, but often also in groups ; they are usually round, 

 but sometimes elliptical or pear-shaped. They cover gene- 

 rally a single interment, often of burnt bones. Occasionally 

 there is a stone cist, but urn burial also prevailed to a con- 

 siderable extent, especially in the South. The corpse, if 

 not burnt, was generally buried in a contracted position. 

 Implements both of stone and metal occur frequently; but 

 while personal ornaments, such as bracelets, perforated plates 

 of copper, beads of bone, shell or metal, and similar objects, 

 are very common, weapons are but rarely found ; a fact which, 

 in the opinion of Dr. Wilson, " indicates a totally different 

 condition of society and mode of thought" from those of the 

 present Indian. 



Certain small tumuli found in America have been regarded 

 as the remains of mud huts. Mr. Dille* has examined and 

 described some small tumuli observed by him in Missouri. 

 He dug into several, but never succeeded in finding anything 

 except coal, charcoal, and a few pieces of pottery, whence he 

 concluded that they were the remains of mud houses.-)- The 

 Mandans, Minatarees, and some other tribes, even until lately, 

 built their huts of earth, resting on a framework of wood. 



On the other hand, there are some tumuli to which it 

 would seem that this explanation is quite inexplicable, and 

 which are full of human remains. This was long supposed 

 to be the case with the great Grave Creek Mound, which 

 indeed was positively stated by At water J to be full of human 

 remains. This has turned out to be an error, but the state- 



* Smithsonian Contributions, vol. i. p. 136. 

 t Archpeologia Americana, vol. i. p. 223. 

 t See also Lapham, 1. c. p. 80. 



