368 ANTHROPOLOGY. 



plow turned up the rocks. In some places fire seems to have been used, 

 as we find only charred pieces of bones and burnt rocks with fragments 

 of pottery. 



One mound explored contained the remains of 25 or 30 persons. Most 

 of the bones were chaired or burnt to ashes. One had been buried in a 

 sitting posture, the rest lay indiscriminately. They had been inclosed 

 by placing rocks on edge around them and two in the middle for the 

 flat rocks that formed the cover to rest upon. Pieces ot pottery were 

 found on the top of the rocks that formed the cover, which had fallen in 

 and rested on the bones. 



MOUNDS IX THE SPOON RIVER VALLEY, ILLINOIS. 



By W. H. Adams, of Elmore, III. 



The most important group of mounds is situated on the northeast 

 quarter of the southwest quarter of section 9, township 11 north of the 

 base line, range 5 east of the fourth principal meridian. They are nine 

 in number, commencing at a point 126 feet west of the southeast 

 corner of the first-mentioned tract of land; thence following the brow 

 of the ridge in a northeast course to a point on the east side of said 

 40-acre tract, 564 feet north of the southeast corner. The ridge is 

 composed of the usual yellow clay of which the bluffs of Spoon Eiver 

 are composed. For convenience we have numbered the mounds, com- 

 mencing at the south. The east and west line crosses the north side of 

 No. 1. The distances here given are from center to center. From No. 

 1 to No. 2 is 50 feet, from No. 2 to No. 3 is 46 feet, from No. 3 to No. 4 is 

 67 feet, from No. 4 to No. 5 is 67 feet, from No. 5 to No. 6 is 225 feet, 

 from No. 6 to No. 7 is 72 feet; No. 7 is northwest of No. 6; from No. 6 

 to No. 8 is 67 feet, from No. 8 to No. 9 is 55 feet. Opened No. 3 at a 

 depth of 2 feet 6 inches; found a flat stone in an upright position; a 

 few inches below this found a thin layer of ashes with small fragments 

 of charcoal. At a depth of 5 feet 4 inches found human bones, very 

 much decayed, the articulations all wasted away. Found one skull to the 

 east and t wo to the south ; all the bones occupied a space less than 3 

 feet in diameter. The bones were very fragile; the teeth in a good state 

 of preservation; the grinding surface very smooth and even. .The base 

 diameter of this mound is 55 feet; the apparent height above the sur- 

 rounding surface 3 feet. Opened No. 4 with about the same result as No. 

 3, except the flat stone. In company with W. Lewis opened No. 7; 

 found large quant it ies of ashes at a depth of 3£ feet and one or two small 

 fragments of charcoal. At a depth of 5 feet 3 inches found human 

 bones, which fell to pieces on exposure to the air. No. 6 was opened by 

 S. Swenny, George Lappan, and George Miller. At a depth of 3 feet 

 they found a layer of flat stones nicely fitted together, having a diam- 

 eter of 6 feet; they were unable to determine whether anyone had been 

 buried in this mound. 



