PAPERS RELATIx\G TO AJlTHROPOLOGY. 761 



soiitli side, but on the western balf of the north side the erosion was 

 great. The river, flowing from the north, strikes the Virginia bhTffs a 

 little below the mouth of the Little Kanawha, and, on its rebound, 

 passes over to the north side of the island ;;nd washes the Ohio shore, 

 which in turn forces the waters against the island. So great has been 

 the erosion at this point that the summit of the ridge is scarcely 3 feet 

 in width. Unless it is soon protected the river, at no distant <lay, will 

 cut through, which will result in the rapid annihilation of the western 

 half of the island. 



The geological structure presents a mixture of sand, gravel, clay, and 

 river sediment. Fine sand is the principal ingredient ; the clay and 

 gravel are not predominant. The ridge is covered with a rich vegetable 

 mold, varying in thickness from 4 inches to 30. Fossils are occasion- 

 ally picked up, among them Spirifer mucronatus and a variety of Zaph- 

 rentis. Coal is washed upon the sand-bars in the form of rolled peb- 

 bles. The coal has been lost from sunken barges and then rolled along 

 the bottom of the river. When thus found it takes all the variety of 

 shapes represented in the river gravel or cobble-stone. 



The fact that the island was rich in its archaeological remains was 

 known only to a few. The islanders are not interested in the«e remains 

 save to pick up the relics, for which they find a ready sale. Curiosity- 

 seekers have paid high prices for relics, simply as mementoes of the fa- 

 mous place. Two speculators have steadily watched the island for sev- 

 eral years, and immediately after high water they search along the north 

 bank where they pick up quantities of ancient art. These are disposed 

 of without revealing their true locality. Although the wiiter visited 

 the islands two days after a speculator had been there, enough relics 

 were secured to illustrate fairly the wonderful productiveness of the 

 place. Including those purchased, the following is a list of relics ob- 

 tained : Fifty-seven arrow-heads, twelve spear-heads, one drill, four 

 hatchets, one flesher or bark-peeler, two pestles, three hematites, two 

 bodkins, one bone needle, two bone beads, seven ornaments, five circu- 

 lar stones, besides numerous pieces of pottery, human and animal bones, 

 and three pipes, one piece of the bowl of a pipe, and two pipe-stems. 

 Some of these are now deposited in the Smithsonian Institution. Oc- 

 casionally complete vessels are obtained. Some of these were found by 

 Blennerhassett, all of which were presented to his guests as soon as 

 they were obtained. 



The first point examined was the largest shell heap on the island near 

 the center. The deposit is 1,125 feet long by 200 in width at the west end 

 and 3 feet in width at the eastern extremity. What was the original 

 ^idth of the shell heap would now be impossible to tell. Mr. Bryant 

 Johnson, who has resided on the island during the last twenty years, 

 and in its vicinity all his life stated that, in his recollection the width 

 had been reduced 70 feet, and the whole distance was covered with 

 shells. Save along the margin of the bank the shell heap has been 



