92 Description of some Sepulchral Pits of Indian Origin. 



The fourth pit to be noticed was opened on the 19th December 

 last; it had been known for some time to a French Canadian, who 

 came upon it accidentally in the bush, and expressed no curiosity 

 concerning it, till his attention was more immediately drawn to the 

 subject by the recent discoveries of the same kind. 



It is situate on a gentle slope, probably on lot 110, second Con- 

 cession west of the Penetanqueshene road, and in the township of Giny, 

 having no peculiar feature in its locality, except a small and highly 

 picturesque lake at a short distance, which is surrounded by a cran- 

 beri-y swamp. This, however, can hardly be a feature worthy of 

 notice as such. Lakes abound in the neighbourhood, and few are 

 more than two miles distant from others. It is about two miles 

 from the head of Penetanqueshene Bay. The soil in which it is 

 formed is sandy, and free from stones. 



The size of this pit is about the same as those of Nos. 1 and 3 ; 

 and it is supposed to have contained about the same number of skele- 

 tons as the first of them. The other contents were — sixteen conch- 

 shells, a stone-pipe, a clay-pipe, a species of pipe or ornament of 

 which the use is not exactly known, copper-bracelets and ear-orna- 

 ments, eleven beads of the red pipcstone, copper arrow-heads, a cup 

 of iron which resembled an old iron ladle, beads of several kinds, and 

 pieces of fur, among which that of the martin could yet be distin- 

 guished. 



The shells seemed to be arranged round the bottom of the pit, 

 not in a regular row, but in threes or fours ; the other things were 

 found mixed with the bones. The bones were of all sizes, and the 

 skulls uninjured except by time. 



The conch-shells were exactly similar to those found elsewhere, 

 and require no further description. The accompanying sketch will 

 perhaps sufficiently shew the character of the pipes. The stone-pipe 

 still contained some tobacco, which was burned by the finder for the 

 purpose of analysis. (Fig- 8.) 



The stone ornament or pipe, fig. 7, may probably be recog- 

 nised as appertaining to the " medicine ceremonies," still in use 

 among some tribes of Indians ; the stone of which it is formed is 

 common in the neighbourhood, and does not appear to be that usual- 

 ly applied to the formation of pipes. A lizard's head composes a 

 handle to the flat circular part, which is about five-eighths of an inch 

 thick, having on its upper surface a cavity which would contain about 

 the point of the thumb, and to the bottom of which passes a small hole, 

 apparently adapted for the attachment of a pipe-stick. Another 

 perforation on the side and lower edge seems to have been used to 

 suspend it by. 



The arrow-heads, as they were supposed to have been, were simple 

 folds of sheet-copper, resembling a roughly-formed ferrel to a walk- 

 ing-stick. 



Besides the lozenge-shaped beads, which were found in great num- 

 bers, were a few cylindrical porcelain beads, resembling those from 



