Results of Investigations of Indian Mou)ids. 3i5 



anlraals and plants are also wanting. They are even absent from all 

 aitide.s belonging to the Bronze Age in Switzerland, and I might also 

 say in Western Europe generally, while ornaments of curved and spiral 

 lines are eminently characteristic of this period. The ornament; I 

 ideas of the Stone Age, on the other hand, are confined, so far as we 

 know, to compositions of straight lines, and the idea of a curved line 

 scarcely seems to have occurred to them. The most elegant orna- 

 ments on their vases are impressions made by the fingernail, or by a 

 cord wound around the soft clay." — (Prehistoric Times, p. 257,) 



The Mound Builders were not content with straight lines: here are 

 over 20 specimens taken from this mound, and you can see how beau- 

 tifully the surfaces were ornamented with fret-work and various figures; 

 and here is a kettle -like vessel' having for one side the profile of a 

 human being. One of the specimens was undoubtedly a water jug, 

 and being unglazed water could readily permeate the clayey material, 

 and, rapidly evaporating in hot weather, would create a lower temper- 

 ature than the surrounding air and then impart its temperature to the 

 enclosed water, and by this device furnish a cool beverage for sum- 



mer. 



Besides the pottery, the mound contained other interesting relics, 

 one of which was an article made of magnesian limestone, round m 

 shape, being two inches in diameter and a quarter of an inch thick, 

 and discoidal on both sides. This is a characteristic implement, and 

 frequently found in sepulchral mounds. Foster quotes a number of 

 speculations indulged in as to the uses of this discoidal stone— among 

 them the suggestion of Schoolcraft, that they were used as quoits. The 

 little notches in the sides of the one I have here would give color to 

 the supposition ; and they were evidently made by striking agamst 

 some hard substance, for in places the stone was worn very smooth, 

 as through much handling. 



Another implement was made of a very hard sandstone, almost 

 quartzite ; its shape was a flat quadrilateral figure, 6 inches long by 4 

 wide, and 2 in thickness. 



Among the othef Interesting relics was a pipe, from which it seems 

 the Mound Builders were not unaware of the narcotic properties of to- 

 bacco. The pipe was very plain, having not a single line f .r ornament. 

 During the disinterment a small fracture revealed a fresh surface show- 

 in- that the pipe was manufactured from fire-clay : it had been burned 

 ve°ry hard, and from its appearance 1 judged it had seen a great deal of 



service 



In this mound I discovered no metalic remains, though I was in- 

 formed by a gentleman who had opened several that he had found im- 



