146 



THE OREGON xNATURALIST. 



A S PEC IMEN EX PEDITION. 



About the 20th of June 1892, in company 

 with a younger brother, I left the city of 

 Petersburg 111., and started down the 

 Sangamon River on a relic hunt. We loaded 

 our tent, bedding, fishing-tackle, provisions, 

 guns, etc., into our boat and pushed off. The 

 day was quite warm and we allowed the boat 

 to float along with the current. We stopped 

 occasionally at the sand bars and dug in the 

 sand for turtle's eggs, and succeeded in finding 

 about one hundred and seventy-five. Most of 

 them were round ns marbles but some were 

 quite elongated. 



At night we landed and camped at the foot 

 of a bluff famous for its so-called petrifying 

 spring. A spring gushes from the bank near 

 the top, and flowing, deposits a covering of 

 lime over the moss and rushes. 



The next morning after gathering a few 

 specimens from the spring, we packed up and 

 continued our journey. Some time before 

 noon we arrived at the place vyhere we intend- 

 ed to camp and as we expected to stay seveial 

 days we set about arranging the place for 

 comfort. 



A more beautiful camping place would have 

 been hard to find. Situated at the foot of a 

 huge bluff, on a grassy plateau, with the river 

 in front and not a house or cornfield in sight to 

 remind one of civilization, it was indeed a spot 

 that a lover of nature could enjoy. Near by in 

 a deep and shady valley a spring gushes out 

 and flows down to the river. We dag a little 

 reservoir just below and stored our meat, butter, 

 and milk where they kept perfectly fresh and 

 cool. 



After supper we baited our fish lines and 

 slept soundly till morning. We were up before 

 dawn and rejoiced greatly over several fine fish, 

 which we found on our lines. These we clean- 

 ed and cooked for breakfast and it makes one's 

 mouth water now to think how good they tasted. 



After breakfast, armed with pick and spade, 

 we went to the mounds on the hill above. 

 There are a number of mounds in this neighbor- 



hood, all of which have been ]iartially explored. 

 Right on the highest point of the bluff, where 

 the band slopes abruptly off to tiie river, 100 

 feet below, is a large shell mound. Part of 

 the mound has caved oft and the contents lie 

 scattered along the bank. We hunted over 

 the bank and oStained many pieces of pottery 

 many of them being curiously figured. We 

 afterwards dug through the mound and found 

 that-it extended down aliout four feet and was 

 composed of shells, bones, fragments of potteiy 

 and ashes. In the bottom we found fragmcints 

 of clay ijricks bearing the marks of human 

 hands. It is evidently the old kitchen or 

 cooking place of the Indians. In the mound 

 we found five or six flint arrow points and 

 many long, sharp scales of flint. We found 

 also the lower canine tooth of a bear with two 

 holes drilled, in the side, down to the nerve 

 cavity, so that it might be strung on a string, a 

 horn knife handle and another peice of polished 

 bone with a hole in it, many fragments of deer 

 horns, beavers skulls, turtle shell, etc. 



Neither the shells or the bones had the 

 appearance of great age although we know that 

 the last of the Indians left this part of the 

 country eighty years ago and no Indians have 

 lived at the spot within the memory of the 

 oldest inhabitant. 



Some years ago I secured a fine stone pipe 

 from this place and a oOpper chisel. 



The next day I visited a number of farm 

 houses in the neighborhood and collected three 

 stone axes and about forty arrow points. 



We spent about ten days, digging or 

 wandering about as we felt inclined. There 

 was a steep clay b ink near in which hundreds 

 of sand mar'.ins had built their nests. We did 

 not fail to gather a number of "sets" for 

 exchange. At last we packed up and floated 

 down the river to a point where we could shiji 

 our boat home by rail. 



We returned home thinking that those wdio 

 never camped out did not know what enjoy- 

 ment was. 



E. H. Hamilton. 



