2IO SAIITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



of human occupation in which " no difference can be detected between 

 the earth upon which the mound rests and that on either side. Yet 

 the mounds are indubitably artificial." (Idem, p. 169.) 



If Fowke's last assertions can be accepted, it becomes obvious that 

 observable structural differences between an artificial mound and 

 its natural base would not be expectable in certain parts of Nebraska 

 or elsewhere in the mound area. However, the statement in the middle 

 of the second paragraph quoted, that only a vertical cross-section 

 would show such soil differences, is a very important qualification. 

 How, otherwise than by a vertical cross-section, one might hope to 

 distinguish between basal soil and artificial mound I do not know. 

 As regards the " mounds " without a trace of human intrusive ma- 

 terial which are " indubitably artificial " I can only express myself 

 as being unconvinced pro or con. Fowke's assertions are interesting 

 and should be carefully considered, especially in such peripheral 

 mound regions as eastern Nebraska, but I do not believe that as yet 

 they can be unqualifiedly accepted. 



Sterns, as the result of his researches in southeastern Nebraska, 

 came to the conclusion that true mounds are rare in that region 

 (191 5 a). Only three truly artificial mounds were encountered by 

 him throughout the entire area. One was the mound mentioned by 

 Lewis and Clark on the summit of a small hill above a branch of 

 the Nemaha River, another was outside of Nebraska near Iowa Point 

 in Doniphan County, Kans., and a third was a mile southeast of 

 Nehawka, Cass County, Nebr. He states that many little (natural) 

 elevations are mistaken for mounds and that (natural) hilltops are 

 called " mounds " when they contain burials. He cites the Wallace 

 " mound " near Bellevue as an example of this last type. 



The researches of the University of Nebraska Archeological Sur- 

 vey from 1929 to 1931 already referred to, rather confirm Sterns' 

 conclusions, though our own field work was mainly carried on in 

 southern and central Nebraska, hence few " mounds " were encoun- 

 tered. In all, only four mounds were partially opened by our parties, 

 and these incomplete excavations have been described in some detail. 

 This work included cross trenches in two of the numerous elevations 

 or " mounds " at the Saunders site near the mouth of the Elkhorn 

 River, one fairly large central pit with four corner trenches in one 

 of the mounds above the Walker Gilmore site near Rock Bluff's, and 

 one mound cross-sectioned (out of the numerous mounds superficially 

 observed) on Weeping Water Creek. Although all the mounds at 

 the first two sites had the external appearance of being artificially 

 raised in prehistoric times, none of those excavated gave internal 



