98 DAVEXPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



in our absence, and took out some relics, which, however, I was fortunate 

 enough to obtain from them. These are a piece of mica, some crystals of 

 dog-tooth spar, flakes of seleuite, and an arrow head, which are also in 

 the Academy Museum, witli the axe and other articles above mentioned. 



I now have also to report that in three other places in the immediate vicin- 

 ity, and to the southward of this group, where mounds were supposed to 

 exist, I have made a careful examination by boring a great number of 

 holes and examining the earth from different depths. We found, in each 

 ease, a number of stones, as in the other mounds, and below these stones 

 only sand and gravel and the hard clay, but no indications of shells, 

 human bones, or other artificial deposits, and hence conclude them to be 

 only natural elevations. 



It therefore appears that no more mounds are probably to be found 

 south of this group, but to the northward, on Mr. Smith's land, there are 

 a few more mounds, for the exploration of which permission has not yet 

 been obtained. 



For further explanation of this work, prosecuted on behalf of the 

 Academy, I would refer to the detailed description already presented. 



Respectfully submitted. 



J. Gass. 



Accompanying this report of Mr. Gass were certificates from 

 Rev. W, Engelbrecht, Eev. H. Decker and Mr. A. Borgelt, who 

 assisted in the excavations of 1874, and from Messrs. L. H. 

 Willrodt, H. S. Stoltzenau, H. Braun, F. Schlimmer, I. 

 Schricker, Ch. Schricker and F. Blumer, who were present and 

 assisted in the explorations of January, 187Y, in which they fully 

 confirm and substantiate the above description of the explora- 

 tion of Mound Xo. 3 of the Cook Farm group by Mr. Gass. 



A vote of thanks to Mr. Gass for his interesting paper was 

 passed by the Academy. 



March 6th, 1877. — Trustees' Meeting. 



Rev. S. S. Hunting, President, in the chair. 



Seven members present. 



On motion of Dr. Cochran, Dr. Preston was appointed to 

 proceed to Iowa City to attend to the packing and removal of 

 the Parvin Geological Collection. 



At the suggestion of President Hunting, it was voted that 

 Mrs. C. E. Putnam and Mrs. M. A. Sanders be added to the 

 committee to procure subscriptions for the new Academy build- 

 ing. It was also voted that this committee nominate a Building 



