42 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



decomposed; but associated with them were no relics of any de- 

 scription. This absence of all deposits other than bones, together with 

 the slight pains which had evidently been taken with the floor, gave the 

 impression that, although the largest in the group, this mound had 

 served for the more ordinary burials, or that perhaps the part we were 

 at work in was simply an addition to an older mound. 



With this thought we ran a tunnel eighteen feet long from the north- 

 eastern extremity of the trench in a westerly direction toward the 

 highest part of the mound. Here, the layer of clay having disappeared, 

 we started a tunnel due south, being encouraged to hope for greater 

 developments in this direction by reason of a thickening of the floor. 

 In about three feet, however, it again disappeared, and we gave up the 

 work, regretting the want of time which prevented us from exploring 

 other parts of this mound, for we felt that so large a structure might 

 well contain further deposits. 



In addition to these two mounds of the principal group, a short time 

 was devoted to exploring one of a group on the other side of the vil- 

 lage, back from the brow of the bluff, which had been partially ex- 

 cavated by Mr. Daniel Hindman, a young man residing in the place, 

 some six years before. Work at that time had been suspended because 

 of the interfering roots of a tree which he had not permission to remove, 

 but not before a pipe and part of a skeleton had been found. This 

 mound is about thirty feet in diameter and three feet high. We merely 

 enlarged the old excavation, and in so doing came upon the greater 

 part of a skeleton, and on the same level (we could trace no definite 

 floor), about a foot to the right of the skeleton, we found two earthen 

 vessels, one near the head and the other opposite the middle of the 

 body. Both were turned on their sides and badly crushed, the one 

 near the head being filled with ashes and earth. At a point about a 

 foot above the head, the pick crushed through a large piece of mica, 

 and a chunk of obsidian weighing two pounds was found on a level 

 with the skeleton at, approximately, the center of the mound. 



On the morning of Friday, the 30th, it being impossible to remain 



longer, we struck our tent, reloaded our skiff, and rowed across the 



Mississippi to New Boston, where, in a few hours, we were fortunate 



enough to obtain passage for ourselves and boat on the "Pittsburg," 



upward bound. 



E. P. Lynch. C. E. Harrison. 



H- C. Fulton. C. H. Preston. 



