MOUNDS IN IOWA. 585 



Some years ago Mr. Capron made an excavation in this mound and 

 took out numerous small pieces of pottery, and one sinker larger and 

 finer than either of those obtained by the writer. 



About 6 feet to the northeast from the mound was a saucer-shaped 

 depression 10 feet in diameter and 1^ feet iu depth, from which dirt had 

 been taken in the construction of the mound. It is stated by Mr. Capron 

 that this excavation was originally much larger. 



On a much lower and level space (marked A on the map) on the bank 

 of the now abandoned channel of the river, and about 40 rods to the 

 northwest from the mound, considerable quantities of broken pottery 

 some of it differing greatly in decoration from any found iu the mounds, 

 has been plowed up. Considerable numbers of arrow points, together 

 with lance points, drills, hammers, flint chippings, etc., have also been 

 found. 



It seems quite probable that this was the site of a village of these an- 

 cient people who erected the mounds. 



About half a mile to the northeast from the above described mound 

 another isolated circular mound occurs. This is located upon the ex- 

 tremity of the brow of a rather high and abruptly truncate ridge, which 

 here approaches to within a few rods of the Cedar. From this point a 

 line view of a considerable portion of the valley may be gained. This 

 mound, which was opened by parties from Charles City some years ago, 

 was said to have been circular, 20 feet iu diameter, and 2 feet in height. 



But little information as to the result ot the exploration of this mound 

 has been obtained by the writer, save that a considerable quantity of 

 fabric and cord marked pottery, much of it similar to that obtained from 

 the mound on the Capron farm, was found, and that it had been sub- 

 jected to the action of fire after having been placed in the mound. Sev- 

 eral fine specimens of this pottery were sometime afterward presented 

 to the writer by one of the party making the exploration. The larger 

 fabric marked specimen is of peculiar interest from the fact that in the 

 manufacturing of the vessel the hand was used in pressing the plastic 

 clay into shape,* the interior of the vessel (that portion of it known) 

 showing deep depressions or indentations made by pressure of the hand 

 or fingers, this giving both the interior and exterior of the vessel an 

 uneven surface. 



This vessel appears to have been formed by placing the material in 

 some subelastic mold (perhaps of willow) and pressing into form by 

 the hand ; but prior to which the mold had been lined with some coarse 

 woven fabric, for, perhaps, the purpose (1) of facilitating the removal 

 of the vessel from the mold, and (2) for the purpose of ornamentation. 

 Near this mound was found (by Mr. Burt Harwood, one of the explorers 

 of the mound) and presented to the writer numerous arrow points, a 

 fish-spear (according to Abbot), knife, and a fine plumb-bob. 



The point of special interest regarding the arrow heads is their (in 



*In all other observed examples some smooth iDstrument was used for this purpose. 



