igio.] Recent Archaeological Investigations in Ontario. 9 



6. Conclusions as to the relationship of the builders of this mound 

 to other peoples of America must be left for future consideration. Although 

 it is too early to form an opinion from the evidence before us regarding 

 the precise relationship of the builders of this zigzag mound to the existing 

 tribes of America, yet, there appears to be sufficient to justify us in con- 

 sidering whether or not these Ontario mounds were built by the Huronic 

 people. Attention is here called to a slight resemblance of the skeletal 

 remains to the Huron type. In the form and size of the cranium this re- 

 semblance is somewhat noticeable. Of course, it is known with certainty 

 that the Hurons of historic time, that is, of the seventeenth century, 

 interred their dead in deep pits or ossuaries and did not erect mounds 

 above them. But, the probability of their ancestors' having interred 

 their dead in mounds five or six centuries previous to that historic time, 

 althdugh doubtful and difficult may, I think, be a proper question for 

 study and investigation. The late Sir Daniel Wilson, of Toronto Uni- 

 versity,'in his writings expressed the opinion that the crania of the Hurons 

 varied so greatly that it could not be said that any Huronic type existed. 

 I cannot agree with this view. The evidence regarding the conditions 

 of the discovery of a number of the crania examined by Sir Daniel Wilson 

 is far from satisfactory. It is very probable that many of them were 

 not Huron skulls at all ; but, were more likely to be those of the Iroquois 

 and perhaps some of them belonged to the Algonquins and one or two 

 to the mound -builders. In plates VIII. and IX, Figs. 19 and 22, are 

 presented two views of a cranium which I regard as the Huron type. 

 This cranium was found by me in a Huron ossuary in the year 1878, and 

 has been exhibited to several eminent archaeologists and craniologists. 

 Views of a cranium found in the "serpent" mound of Peterboro County 

 last October are also shown on plates VIII. and IX, Figs. 18 and 21. A 

 comparison is greatly in favor of the mound builder. The latter possessed 

 greater frontal development, as shown by the lateral views. 



In the investigation so far there has appeared evidence of a relation- 

 ship of these earthworks in Ontario to those of some parts of the state of 

 Ohio, which relationship, of course, also forms a legitimate subject for 

 future study. From the skeletal remains as well as from the character 

 of the artifacts I am at present inclined to regard these Ontario mounds 

 as being closely related to those of Ohio. 



7. The mound was reared in prehistoric times. With regard to the 

 age of this mound it may be stated that the condition of the crania and 

 other bones of the skeletons as well as of the shell objects indicates a period 

 of time of great length, probably about a thousand years. The trees 

 growing upon the mound, and especially that whose decaying stump I 



