230 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [1895 



The site of the City of Nashville, and a surrounding radius 

 of ten miles, may be taken as a typical section of the country 

 once occupied by these aborigines. In this locality are the 

 extensive cemeteries over parts of which the City of Nashville 

 has been built ; these sometimes occupy acres, and, though 

 oftenest lying a foot or two below the surface, can be occasion- 

 ally recognized by the low edges of the fiat stones employed in 

 their construction obtruding above the ground, I know of one 

 field where some years ago were counted seventeen hundred of 

 these primitive but carefully prepared sepulchers. In all cases 

 these were alike in general features, the earth was excavated 

 about two feet and the opening lined with smooth flat stones, 

 the head and foot stones generally single pieces. In this 

 chamber the body was laid full length, natural position, con- 

 trary to the general Indian custom of interment, in a crouching 

 one. On the stones around it were then placed heavy slabs, in 

 some instances a single slab seven and eight feet long has been 

 used as a cover. The stone cists are placed close together, often 

 touching, the side wall of stone serving for two cists. As a 

 rule separate burial was practiced, but occasionally two skele- 

 tons, and sometimes four, are found in one cist. The rock 

 used is a slaty fossilif erous limestone, easily detached in large 

 layers, and may be identified as the Trenton. The cists were 

 not always spread out into burying sites, but were frequently 

 placed in tiers, one above the other, forming small mounds. 

 Instances are cited of mounds almost entirely composed of cists 

 and constructed so perfectly that the lids of the upper rovv^ of 

 cists presented a rounded rock surface. Many skeletons and 

 crania have been removed from the cists for scientific investiga- 

 tion, the bones of adults showing a race up to the usual standard 

 of height. The crania from both mounds and cemeteries pre- 

 sent the same features, show great irregularity of form and 

 occipital pressure, the back part of the skulls being flattened 

 and the walls abnormally high. Measurements made by Dr. 

 Joseph Jones and Dr. Morton show large internal capacity for 



