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a foot square to those about seven feet in length by two 

 feet in width. Occasionally still wider graves were found, 

 and these always contained two bodies ; in one case three 

 bodies had been placed in one large grave. Some of the 

 small graves were found to contain the bones of adult 

 persons, but out of natural connection and in such posi- 

 tions as to show that they had been buried after the flesh 

 had decayed. The majority of the small graves were 

 those of children of various ages. 



The bones were found in all stages of advanced decay, 

 and it was only by using the greatest care that any could 

 be preserved. About sixty perfect and nearly perfect 

 skulls were obtained, and numerous other bones were 

 secured, though to attain these results many hundred 

 graves were opened in several localities. Often a grave 

 would he uncovered and found to contain a jar or two, or 

 perhaps a few stone implements, etc., with hardly a ves- 

 tige of the human bones, so perfectly had all that once 

 formed the human body returned to its natural elements. 



In a grave at Fort Zollicofler a very interesting orna- 

 ment of copper was found, and in three other instances 

 afterwards, at other localities, copper ornaments were 

 obtained. 



At Miss Bowlin's farm, about six miles from Nashville, 

 a very interesting series of mounds were explored. These 

 mounds were about five or six feet high by about one hun- 

 dred to two hundred feet in diameter, and were found to 

 be made entirely of such stone graves as have been de- 

 scribed. The graves were of all sizes, and irregularly 

 arranged in from three to five tiers, each mound thus 

 containing several hundred graves. From these grave 

 mounds many very interesting articles were obtained, 

 such as vessels of clay of various shapes and sizes, seve- 

 ral of which were ornamented, but the majority were plain 



