60 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Yol. ix. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



THE MOUND BUILDERS OF THE WEST. 



Dr. Schultz, M.P., sends us the following, originally commu- 

 nicated by him to the Free Press. 



'* Sir, — Permit me through your columns to correct some of 

 the current absurd rumors as to results obtained from excavations 

 recently made for me in the county of Lisgar. Those of your 

 readers who may have had occasion to travel the river road run- 

 ning through that county, will doubtless have noticed the circular 

 elevation between it and the Red River, which occurs about 

 three miles below St. Andrew's Rapids. From the river face of 

 this mound the earth has, from time to time, fallen, and the 

 bones and ornaments disclosed led to the conjecture that it was 

 used as a place of sepulture for the dead of a race far more 

 ancient than the " Ojibways " and " Crees " who lately, or the 

 Assiniboine branch of the " Dakotahs " who formerly, occupied 

 this country. 



This mound is one of a group of half a dozen in the vicinity, 

 which are interesting as being farthest north of any of the works 

 of that^curious mound-building race, who. for purposes of defence 

 sepulture, or worship, built the primitive earthworks which are 

 found along the banks of the chief rivers from the Gulf of 

 Mexico to the great lakes. From recent excavations, accidental 

 disclosures, the observations of that careful observer, Hon. Donald 

 Gunn, as well as excavations made by the Commandant at Fort 

 Pembina last year, I am disposed to believe the mounds in this 

 country to be all sepulchral in character, and to have been 

 built by a race who came from, or at least bartered with, people 

 of the far south, who possessd the art of making pottery, but 

 had no acquaintance with the metals, a race of medium stature, 

 with crania superior to that of the average Indian of to day, and 

 possibly to have been a smaller, weaker branch of the race, whose 

 interesting relics of early constructive skill are found in such 

 profusion in Ohio and Wisconsin. 



The mounds here ha\e been built near the dwellings of the 

 builders, who employed fire to render them durable ; the upper 

 crust of the soil seems to have been removed and on the flattened 

 clay floor an oven-shaped roof of the same material has been 



