846 PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



just below the barbs, the whole being symmetrical. Mr. Richard Brown 

 removed a mound in Ross Township, and beneath the mound and under 

 the original surface of the ground he found a badge of authority* com- 

 posed of cannel-coal. It is perfectly symmetrical and finely finished. 

 The two wings are divided into halves by a ridge extending the whole 

 length of the implement. At the corners of the wings are knobs. At 

 the center it is narrow, thick, and arched, but broad at the wings; the 

 extreme length being 8| inches and the greatest width 3| inches. Near 

 the center are two perforations 1£ inches apart, the greater diameter of 

 the perforations being on the under side. 



Many skeletons have been taken from the mounds. In some cases 

 several have been found together, forming a circle, the crania being 

 at the center. Tbe cranium taken from an ash-pit in a mound in 

 Liberty Township fell into my possession, and in due time I presented 

 it to the Smithsonian Institution. It was in a perfect state of preser- 

 vation, and exhibited all the characteristics constituting Indian crania. 



Under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, I undertook the 

 examination of some of the tumuli during the summer of 1883. The 

 first to examine was the group located on Sec. 21, Ross Township. This 

 group is figured in "Ancient Monuments," page 170. Although I had 

 visited this group on a previous occasion, I had yet never examined 

 them carefully until July 25, 1883, when, in company with Hon. W. H. 

 Harr, judge of probate, I commenced an exploration. The mounds as 

 represented in " Ancient Monuments " are not as we found them. We 

 noticed that/, e, and d (see Fig. 1), are still to be seen, although/ has 

 been plowed down ; but as the composition of the mound is different 

 from the surrounding surface it is plainly visible. As to b and c there 

 is no trace whatever. The soil gives not the least indication that there 

 had ever been there two mounds. If composed of either clay or ashes 

 or both, it would seem that some trace would be left. Years of cul- 

 tivation would as easily have obliterated / as b and c. There is no 

 just reason why g and h should have been left out of the plan, for 

 evidently they constitute a part of the group. When surveyed origin- 

 ally the five small mounds surrounding the large one ranged from 4 to 

 10 feet in height ; the largest of the five would now hardly reach 4 feet. 

 The mound g is 449 feet easterly south of the largest of the group, and 

 has an altitude of 7 feet, by 65 feet diameter at the base. At a distance 

 of 220 feet southeast of g is the mound h, 6 feet high by 50 feet diameter 

 at the base. 



This group is located 6 miles southwest of Hamilton, on an irregular 

 tract of land, constituting the highest point in the township. Declivi- 

 ties present themselves on every side. The largest mound of the group 

 is 26 feet high, and from its summit a fine view, extending many miles 

 in every direction of the surrounding country can be obtained. About 



* Figured in "Mound Builders," page 167. 



