ABORIGINAL RUINS IN TENNESSEE. 415 



shells. The broken i^ottery was in great abundance, and seems to have 

 been broken vessels thrown away with the shells and other refuse. The 

 same shell-fish are now to be met with in the river, but they do not 

 seem to be in great abundance, judging from what are found along the 

 shore. It is possible that they are more plentiful at the bottom of the 

 river, however, and that these "old-time people" had some way of 

 dredging them up. 



The river is wearing the bank away where the bed crops out; conse- 

 quently I had a very good opportunity of noting its position. It lies 

 l^erfectly horizontal, and, for some distance up and down the river on 

 either side of it, the caving bank is literally dotted with places where 

 fires seem to have burned for a long time ; the earth is burned hard 

 and to redness, and ashes and coals are there. In digging out the 

 places I found several with three stones in the center still occupying tii- 

 angular positions, as if arranged for the purpose of supporting cooking 

 utensils above the fire. These fires were generally on a level with the 

 bottom of the shell bed. 



