1894.] NATU1{A[> SCIKNCIOS OF PHI r-ADKLPHIA. 315 



top of the log pens we (li?ipens'<Ml with the teams and used the shovel- 

 lers tor the ivmainder of the work. One or two arrow-heads svere 

 found (liirin<r the course of the excavations. 



" At eighteen feet from the to{) and eight feet north of the center 

 was a fairly well preserved skeleton surrounded by pieces of sap- 

 lings and logs, two to four feet in length. These were originally 

 laid, one altove the other, to the height of about a foot. These 

 logs, being of small size, when decayed, had broken beneath the 

 weight of earth. The bones of the skeleton were unusually yellow. 

 No relics were found with the remains. We saved some samples of 

 the wood, which experienced timber men pronounced oak and walnut. 



''On the 27th and 2Sth numerous bunches of fine roots and under- 

 giound moss were encountered. Samples of the moss were preserve<l. 

 There were also several deposits of boulders, made without appai-ent 

 reason. The mound, at this point ( twenty- three feet from the top, 

 nine feet from the bottom), appeared to be stratified, and the eartli 

 was veiy soft in places. 



"The log pen in the center of the mound, and the one northwest of 

 it, remained for manv vears before thev caved in. That is. the 



t 

 Metzger Mound, diagram showing banded structure of portion of east wall of 



trench when partially excavated. 



Wood did not decay for a long period of time. In the case of the 

 first or largest pen (central one) the earth was kept out of a space 

 12 X 15x4 feet. The second pen occupied a space about <SxlO and 

 about 6 feet high, and was constructed differently from the fii'st, 

 being very small at the top. These pens existed long enough for 

 the eartli above them to be packed into large clods, which did not 

 fall into the cavity when the wood decayed but gradually settled, 

 forming an arch. The second arch was about 8 feet in diameter at 

 the bottom and 7 feet high. The cavity was filled with underground 

 moss. There was no evidence that moisture had ever entered the 



