1896.] 44o [Gushing. 



au enormously large and fertile field. But I must reiterate that in the 

 keys, in the essential features thereof, and in the principal structures 

 thereon, we have prefigured, as it were, the mound-groups and their 

 outworks — those built not only by the Maskokians and other historic 

 Indians, but also by the prehistoric so-called mound builders them- 

 selves ; and since the keys thus represent a kind of mound building 

 that was absolutely essential, while to account for the almost equally 

 laborious earth-mound works, practical necessity cannot be conceived of 

 as a primary cause, I have claimed, not that the mound builders were 

 as a whole derived from the particular key dwellers I have been describ- 

 ing, but that mound building as practiced by them, was derived from an 

 analogous sea-, or shore-land environment. And thus, too, I have ven- 

 tured to suggest that the resemblance between the mound-groups of 

 our own land, and the foundation-groups of ancient Central American 

 cities — the plans of the principal structures of which are so strikingly 

 like even the plans of the earlier key structures — may indicate that 

 these, no less than the mound-groups themselves, were developed (with 

 much else in ancient Central American culture) from an original sea 

 environment of the same kind. So, the main point of all I have 

 brought forward in relation to our discoveries and collections as repre- 

 sentative of the ancient sea dwellers, is this : That for the study of 

 beginnings, alike of the sort just named, and in technology and art, 

 they are exceedingly suggestive and in some respects quite sufficiently 

 conclusive. 



In thanking the distinguished gentlemen who have so honored me 

 with their discussion and in thanking the members of this Society for 

 their patient attention throughout, I wish once more to acknowledge my 

 profound appreciation of the aid and encouragement I have received 

 from your distinguished Vice-President, Dr. William Pepper ; my 

 gratitude also to Mrs. Phebe A. Hearst, and to other members of the 

 Board of Managers of the Archteological Association of the University 

 of Pennsylvania, who made possible the investigations of which I have 

 given you account this evening. Had t\\ej not thus come forward, I 

 had personally missed an opportunity of enriching my experience in 

 American archreology and ethnology that I have come to feel I could ill 

 have afforded to spare. 



[Since the remainder of this discussion consisted chiefly of a detailed 

 description (occup}'ing nearly half an hour) of the specimens and illus- 

 trations displayed in the Hall of the Society, I have not hesitated to 

 incorporate the substance of the stenographic notes of it that were 

 kindly furnished me by the Secretaries of the American Philosophica. 

 Society, in the body of the published address. 



In justice as well to my two distinguished critics, as to myself, how- 

 ever, I must repeat that in the off-hand address which alone they 

 discussed, I may not have made — probably did not make — a number 



