62 A Brief Chapter on Sacrificial Mounds. 



thau the otliors (the middle one being smallest and not continued to 

 the beak) and forming together a very low, flattened mesial elevation, 

 scarcely rising above the general convexity ; beak rather strongly 

 incurved. 



Ventral valve of much the same form as the other, excepting that 

 its beak is somewhat more prominent, j^erforated (?) and incurved 

 upon that of the other valve ; while two of its middle costre are much 

 smaller than the others, and the first one on each side of these is inter- 

 mediate in size between the smallest central ones and the largest on 

 the lateral slopes ; these four smaller ones being a little depressed, so 

 as to form a shallow mesial sinus that is not continued to the beak. 

 Crossing all of these plications of both valves are numerous fine lines 

 of growth ; while the entire surface, as seen under a magnifier, is 

 occujiied by minute projecting points, like grains of sand, and between 

 these, a higher magnifying power shows the whole surfiice to be very 

 minutely and regularly punctate. Interior unknown. 



Length, 0.37 inch; breadth, 0.50 inch; convexity, 0.27 inch. 



Found at Cincinnati, but exact elevation unknown. 



Prof. Meek suggests that this species may be identical with Retzia 

 Salteri, of Davidson. 



A Brief Chapter on Sacrificial Mounds. (By L. M. Hosea.) 



Not far from Springfield, Missouri, stands an imposing mound, erected 

 by races who dwelt ages ago in that locality, exhibiting, in a marked 

 degree, those characteristics which seem to identify the Mound- 

 Builders of the Mississippi valley with the extinct peoples of tropical 

 America. Until recently, no examination other than of the surface 

 had been made of this interesting monument, which is now shown to 

 possess features of great interest bearing upon the inquiry as to the 

 religious customs of the pre-historic races of the United States. 



The mound in question, as we gather from the accounts of news- 

 paper correspondents, is situated twelve miles north of Springfield, in 

 Green county, two miles east of the Bolivar road, and crowns the sum- 

 mit of a hill, which gradually rises to an elevation of three hundred 

 feet above the surrounding country. 



It is of earth, interspersed with large, limestone bowlders, "some of 

 which, exposed upon the sides and summit of the mound to the action 



