EECORD OF PKOCEEDINGS. 147 



Upon request, Prof. F. E. Nipher, of St. Louis, made some 

 remarks, urging the importance of prosecuting archasological 

 work with vigor, as much valuable material is being destroyed 

 by persons whose zeal is much greater than their skill. The 

 Archaeological Section of the Academy of Science of St. Louis 

 has been doing good work in the mounds of south-east Mis- 

 souri, and a few of the results of the researches there were 

 given. Six or seven hundred specimens of pottei*y have been 

 collected during the past few years. These vessels were found 

 in burial mounds, as many as 300 specimens being found in a 

 single mound. Such mounds are found near the sites of ancient 

 cities, which are marked by the "dug outs," over which the 

 rude habitations of the mound builders were erected. The hab- 

 itations were formed by digging a small cellar-like cavity in the 

 earth, over which was built an arch of brush and poles, which 

 was covered with clay and dried in the sun. Excavations in 

 these "dug outs" reveal a hearth of burned clay, covered with 

 charcoal and ashes, in which vessels containing charred bones 

 are occasionally found. There are many hundreds of these 

 which are yet to be examined. N^o implements of war are found. 



The decorations of the pottery are most frequently made in 

 paint. Some of the vessels are marked with an equal armed 

 cross, surrounded by a circle, ©, which, as is well known, 

 was the ancient Asiatic symbol of the sun-god. In one case 

 the symbol was surrounded with a system of rays, by whicli the 

 artist had plainly attempted to represent the sun itself. The 

 finding of this symbol in the mounds coupled with the fact that 

 some of the American aboriginal tribes were sun worshipers, is 

 certainly of great interest. Two amulets of shell have been 

 found lying on the breasts of skeletons, almost alike in their 

 markings. One was found in the bluffs opposite St. Louis, and 

 the other in the southei'n part of the State. On each of these 

 shells was scratched an excellent representation of the tarantula, 

 on the back of which was the symbol before described, ®. 



The speaker remarked the striking difference between the 

 pottery and skulls found near Davenport, and those found in 

 Southern Missouri. He exhibited photographs of a remarkable 

 pipe found in Macoupin County, Ills., which consisted of a 



