398 INDIAN MOUNDS IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA. 



pum, and other large fish in it. Half a mile northeast of this spring is 

 a circular sand mound, built at the foot of a low sand ridge. (Plate II.) 

 Close at hand on the northeast is a series of shallow ponds, surrounded 

 by marshes. 



The mound is 95 feet in diameter, and is now about 5 feet high. Orig- 

 inally it was probably surrounded by a ditch, which is nearly filled up 

 and obliterated, though faint traces of it can be seen on the southern 

 and southwestern sides. 



Partial explorations had been made by the ladies of Mr. Ormond's 

 family, who informed me that they had found numerous skulls, pottery, 

 &c, which were thrown about until destroyed. The growth upon the 

 mound is precisely similar to that of the surrounding forests, consisting 

 of tall pines from 18 inches to 2 feet in diameter. 



I began operations on the southern side, intending to cut a wide trench 

 entirely across the mound nearly to the foundation ; but, after spend- 

 ing considerable time and finding nothing, a closer examination revealed 

 the fact that interments had only been made in a small area about the 

 top and a short distance down the northern slope. So, abandoning my 

 ditch, I went to work on the other side, and soon came upon large num- 

 bers of bones, fragments of pottery, &c, seemingly mingled in heartless 

 confusion and disorder; arm, leg, and thigh bones being piled on top of 

 skulls or wedged beneath them. As the work progressed, however, I 

 began to see order arise out of the apparent confusion, and at length I 

 found a skeleton in pretty good preservation, entirely separated from 

 the others. I set to work to solve the problem in earnest. The entire 

 absence of vertebrae, ribs, shoulder-blades, &c, had struck me as very 

 singular in the outset. Working away the sand with a small trowel 

 from the bones imbedded in the wall before me, I got a perfect view, 

 in section, of the mode of burial pursued by the aborigines. Plate III, 

 Fig. 2, will give a correct idea of the method — A representing the bones 

 as they lay in the earth ; B, a mass of ashes, cinders, partly burned ver- 

 tebrae, and calcined sand ; a, a, the position of the arm bones ; &, b, the 

 bones of the leg and thigh; and c, the cranium. 



Kow, let us see if this does not unravel the whole mystery. We will 

 suppose the mound-builders are about to perform the burial ceremony. 

 First, a shallow grave is dug long enough to accommodate the body at 

 full length, as at c, d, Fig. 2. A fire is kindled at B, and the body laid upon 

 it, the legs, arms, and head projecting beyond it. The fire is confined 

 entirely to the trunk of the body and kept burning fiercely until it is 

 completely destroyed. This being accomplished, the legs are doubled 

 as represented at A, the head placed face downward between the 

 thighs, and the arms laid on or by the side of the head. Cooking 

 vessels, cups, dishes, &c, are now broken and thrown into the grave, 

 which is tilled with sand, and the ceremony is completed. 



As to the age of the interments in this mound, I can only state that 

 it is extremely probable that they were made previously to European 



