164 The Use of Mica Plates by the Mound- Builders. 



transfer the specimen to a collecting jar, and I hope to be able to show 

 it to my friends when I get home. To obtain shells here, one must 

 dredge. I obtained the following species : Pore, exanthema, Ovuliim 

 gibbosa, Area Noce, Turb'meUa, Turbo, Marg. fimbriata, Chama macro- 

 philla, Strombus gigas, St. bituberciilatus, Troens spinosa, a L/ithodomus, 

 Teredo navalis, etc. Echinus of two or three species are common in four 

 feet of water. Lobsters, two feet long, and huge green turtles, are to 

 be found, as well as plenty of shaiks and other fish. Altogether, 

 Tortugas is a good field for the naturalist, if he goes there armed with 

 proper collecting apparatus, and does not n)ind the abandoned and 

 lonesome appearance of everything. A tremendous north east storm 

 prevailing while 1 was there, hastened my departure ; but I did not 

 leave without some satisfaction, in having seen this extremity of Uncle 

 Sam's dominions. 



The Use of Mica Plates by the Mound-BuVders — The Age of their Mounds. 



By S. S. ScoviLLE, M. D. 



About fifteen years ago, an ancient mound, situated upon the East 

 Fork of the Little Miami, twenty five miles east of Cincinnati, wa« 

 opened. At the base of the mound, or on a level with the surround- 

 ing ground, were found human bones in number and character suflB- 

 cient to show that at least half a dozen bodies had been deposited 

 here. The remains were so poorly preserved that scarcely an entire 

 bone could bo found, yet the outlines of an entire skeleton could be 

 traced. Several of the bodies, if not all, had been placed with their 

 heads together, or but slightly separated. This was shown by the 

 cranial bones, a few of which were nearly entire, though disposed to 

 crumble immediately upon being removed from the earth. The bodie;* 

 evidently had been placed upon the back. Lying upon, or immediately 

 over the cranial debi-is, were found plates of mica, some a foot in diame- 

 ter. These plates were disposed in such a way as to cover an area some- 

 what larger than that occupied by the crania beneath. However,, it 

 could not definitely be determined whether the design had been to make 

 a continuous or common roof over the faces as a group, or whether each 

 face had a covering of its own. The plates were generally separated 

 by a few inches. They may originally have been much wider and 

 overlapped, as their edges were very fragile and disposed to crumbh'. 



The above statement is not made from personal knowledge, but was 



