860 PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



of the flint ; and this space, occupied by the farms of Loughman, Miller, 

 and Feegan, has pits over nearly its whole extent. Southwest of the 

 blacksmith shop, on the farms of Loughman and Vermillion, the pits 

 extend nearly half a mile, mostly in uncleared ground, as the succession 

 of holes and ridges where they have been dug makes it impossible to 

 cultivate what little soil may be found among the rocks. The holes 

 grow larger and deeper as the spur extends south, until at the end some 

 occur which measure 60 feet across. Just how deep they may be can- 

 not be told except by cleaning them out, as they are partly, or in some 

 cases wholly, filled with dirt and decayed vegetation. They nearly al- 

 ways contain more or less water, the present summer being the first 

 one in many years that they have been dry. Jumping or throwing a 

 heavy stone in them causes the whole surface to tremble, showing that 

 the muck filling them is still soft and spongy below, and the length of 

 time this trembling continues indicates a considerable depth. South oi 

 Miller's house, and eastof these just mentioned, are a few, but they are 

 small, and the amount of debris around them shows their depth to be 

 inconsiderable as compared with the larger ones. 



Ten or twelve acres have been dug over on the western side of the 

 cross-road ; that is, if the actual area excavated be measured it will 

 amount to that much, though the pits themselves are scattered over 

 several farms. The spurs are narrow, and in many places there is a 

 considerable interval between the points in which the work has been 

 carried on; those lying on the southern spur, however, are close together, 

 and very great labor has j^lainly been expended on them. 



On the east side of the cross-road the holes increase in size and num- 

 ber. 



North of the blacksmith shop are about 6 acres every rod of which 

 has been dug over. Many of the pits here hold water the entire year. 

 They are mostly shallow, as the soil is thinner here than at other points 

 in the excavated district ; some are filled with muck, while others con- 

 tain very little trash. This field has been cleared and cultivation at- 

 tempted in such parts as can be plowed, but without much success, as 

 the amount of loose flint heats the ground to such an extent in summer 

 that everything dries up. 



East of these, in a piece of timber, are 2 acres of larger and deeper 

 pits. Then, scattered at irregular intervals, are a few, single or in 

 small groups, extending for about half a mile east of the shop, when 

 there is a break in the work and no more are found on the north side 

 of the road for nearly a mile. 



South of the road, on the east side of the cross-road, continuous with 

 those described as north of the shop, and extending for about 500 yards 

 in a direction east of south, are the most extensive excavations, both 

 as to size and number, to be found in an equal area anywhere in the 

 State. The part dug over sometimes narrows to 5 or 6 rods, sometimes 

 widens out to 300 yards. Some of the pits are small, from 15 to 20 fe«t 



