248 MOUNDS IN WISCONSIN. 



removing two feet of this course, some ashes were found lying quite 

 near the layer of stones previously described. Charcoal and decayed 

 wood in small quantities were unearthed ; also a few shells and small 

 pieces of flint. The earth was very dry and underneath the stones was 

 very hard, and had the appearance of having been baked. Another 

 loot of earth was removed, when the skeleton of an adult mound-builder 

 was discovered at the southeastern corner of the shaft, in a sitting 

 l)0Sture, resting upon a natural bed of yellow clay. Several pieces of 

 tlie cranium, the inferior maxillary, vertebrae, ribs, and bones of the ex- 

 tremities were found, but none of them where wholly perfect. There 

 was a mold in the earth, in which the skull had lain, but only portions 

 of the bones were found. The body of the inferior maxillary was very 

 large. The vertebrae were larger than those of the present human type, 

 and the right humerus was perforated at its inferior extremity. The 

 perforation on the anterior surface of the bone is surrounded by a gradu- 

 ally-receding border or margin. This bone is no doubt of great antiquity, 

 and is very much decayed, the superior extremity having disappeared. 

 In no case did I find any of the long bones wholly perfect, but all of 

 them were broken near the center of the shaft, the other extremity not 

 being found. It is hardly probable that this is due to decay, but as 

 others have previously stated, may point to some superstitious rite or 

 custom connected with the sepulture of the dead. This was the only 

 humerus found with either extremity in a nearly perfect condition. 

 Two small sections of the shaft of the other humerus were removed 

 irom the tumulus, but they did not present any anomaly. 



The shafts of ten tibiae found in this mound presented a remarkable 

 flatness. In comparing the specimens found near Lake Mendota, in 

 mound No. 1, with those reported by Mr. Gillman (see Eeport 1873), 

 I find they are very similar 5 and while his measure j\^q of an inch in 

 <',omparing their antero-posterior diameter with the transverse diameter, 

 my specimens measure -f^^ of an inch in the same diameter. 



The bones of the cranium crumbled into many pieces when removed, 

 find could not be put together so as to give a proper idea of its conforma- 

 tion and structure. 



Underneath the remains of this mound-builder were a few inches of 

 black earth, the removal of which revealed a course of stones similar to 

 those found elsewhere in the mound. These stones lay upon a natural 

 bed of yellow clay. As there were no evidences that it had ever been 

 disturbed, and being below the level of the surrounding ground, it was 

 not thought best to continue the shaft any deeper. 



A drift was then made into the side of the mound, about 3 feet above 

 the level of the surrounding surface, and to the width of 8 feet. After 

 removing several feet of black earth, a similar course of stones, as pre- 

 viously described, were found j charcoal, ashes and decayed wood were 

 discovered near them. On continuing the drift toward the center of the 

 tumulus and near the shaft previously sunk, the remains of the skeleton 



