426 ETHNOLOGY, 



of the wall, the courses and distauces along it to a bastion marked 

 " Mercier's burial ground," are as follows: S. 84° W. 15 chains; N. 84° 

 W. 5 chains ; N. 51° W. 4 chains ; IST. 40° W. 4 chains. From this bas- 

 tion to the other bastion there is no appearance of a wall. 



From bastion Ko. 1 to bastion No. 2, the direction is K 15° W., 

 distance 7 chains. From bastion No. 2 the courses and distances along 

 the northern portion of the outer wall to Kolee Mokee Creek are as fol- 

 lows : N. 10° E. 5 chains ; K 23° E. 4 chains ; N. 50° E. 7 chains 5 K 

 52° E. 15 chains ; N. 67° E. 17 chains ; E. 29 chains to the creek. 



The southern portion of the outer wall has its starting-point near the 

 southern or No. 1 bastion, which is not parallel with the inner wall, but 

 runs as follows: S. 11^° E. 10 chains; S. 10° E. 10 chains; S. 17° E. 

 5 chains; 8.39° B. 7^ chains; S. 42° E. 8 chains ; E. 10 chains to 

 its terminus. The wall in the woods is a little more than li feet high — 

 that in the plantation not exceeding 15 inches, the former having been 

 protected from the effects of cultivation. The base of these M'alls is 

 at present about 30 feet wide, probably much greater than they for- 

 merly were. They very gradually slope from base to middle. One of 

 the oldest citizens in the county tells me that he has seen these walls 

 when they were at least double the height ; they have gradually de- 

 creased in elevation and increased in breadth of base. I have also 

 been informed that some of the facial bones of human skeletons have 

 been taken from one of the mounds in the Mercier plantation, which are 

 said to have been much larger than those of our own race, leaving the 

 inference that the mound -builders were almost of a giant stature, 

 but this tradition may be the result of the natural tendency to indulge 

 in the marvelous. 



While engaged in the field-work I noticed a large number of fragments 

 of carved ware and arrow-heads along the line of the walls and about 

 the mounds, both on Kolee Mokee and on Dry Creek. 



The following sketch represents a piece of land on Dry Creek 

 known as the Walnut Fork, on which are situated ancient mounds in 

 great numbers. The area of the whole lot is fifty-one acres, and is of a 

 triangular form, bounded on the east by the swamp-ground of Dry 

 Creek, and on the west by a ditch which was once occupied by a small 

 stream emptying itself into Dry Creek. The portion of this lot which is 

 occupied by the mounds consists of about twenty-one acres. 



The mounds are eighty-three in number, although some of them are 

 now not very distinct. To give a minute description of each of these 

 small mounds would occupy considerable space, and add but little to the 

 interest of the subject. It will be sufficient to say that they vary in 

 height from that of a few inches to 10 feet, and in diameter from 15 feet 

 to 100, there being a single one of the latter size, but most of them are 

 from 30 to 40 feet. Nearly all those of medium size are parapeted. 

 The largest one and some of the smaller are convex on the top, while 

 others are concave or level. They do not appear to have been arranged 



