l68 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



Auihlema costata Rafinesque, Qiiadrula pustulosa Lea, Truncilla trun- 

 cata Gates, and Proptera data megaptera Rafinesque. Besides these 

 four species thus identified there are others not included in the material 

 sent for examination. Unlike certain similar sites, vegetal remains 

 were scarce, the charred bean already referred to being the only 

 example recovered. There is, however, reason to believe that maize 

 was the staple food product of these prehistoric people. Certainly 

 animal remains are remarkably scarce compared to their abundance in 

 historic Plains Indian sites, and the presence of bone digging imple- 

 ments and the development of ceramics point to a horticultural mode 

 of life. Unless charred, vegetal remains are the first things to vanish, 

 and only a fortunate accident preserves them for archeological 

 recovery. No human remains were encountered in the houses at the 

 Gates site, nor could mounds or interments of any sort be located in 

 the time available for such exploration. 



Village and Ossuaries near the Mouth of the Elkhorn River 

 (Saunders Site), Douglas County 



This exceedingly interesting site was called to my attention by Dr. 

 R. F. Gilder and the discoverer of the burials at this place, A. L. 

 Bishop, of Omaha. On their invitation we visited and worked at the 

 site on May 2, 193 1, and again on May 16 and 17. These were the 

 last days spent in the field during the spring season of 1931, and in 

 such a short time the site, which is rather extensive, could only be 

 sampled. Nevertheless, the results of the brief excavation were so 

 interesting that they seem worthy of record until such time as the 

 site may be more thoroughly worked. On our first visit Dr. Gilder, 

 Mr. Bishop, Mr. Yocum, of Logan, Iowa, and Dr. C. W. M. Poynter, 

 Dean of the University of Nebraska Medical School, were present and 

 cooperated in the excavation work. 



The prehistoric remains at this place consist of a number of natural 

 rises strongly suggesting artificial mounds, of which two and perhaps 

 all contain human bones. In addition, there are at least five circular 

 house pits on the ridge in close proximity to the " mounds ". Nearly 

 all the house pits have been rather badly dug up at some former time 

 by relic hunters, but prior to Mr. Bishop's investigation the " mounds " 

 do not seem to have been disturbed. The site extends for about an 

 eighth of a mile along the river bluffs on the east side of the Elkhorn 

 River (see maps, fig. i, site 22; fig. 23). The bluffs at this point 

 form a sharp ridge, dropping steeply some 50 feet on the west to the 

 river bottom and more gradually to the east into deep creek canyons. 



