

Ancient Remains, Animal Mounds, fyc. in Wisconsin. 27 



eluded, before we abandoned the examination, to oust a badger, 

 which we had reason to believe had burrowed into the top of the 

 mound, such places being favorable resorts for these animals. 

 We found but little difficulty here in excavating the earth ; it 

 came down in masses, completely filling the last shaft, as well as 

 the drift, leaving for us but a small aperture to make our egress. 



Having now thoroughly and satisfactorily examined the structure 



of the mound, which required the labor of two days, finding 

 nothing of a curious nature in it, and feeling our position under 

 this mass of arenaceous earth, completely hollowed out as it was, 

 rather perilous, we made our way to the surface, which we 

 reached in safety. 



Pig. 3 I have designated the horned bird in my field-book, in 

 order to distinguish it from others ; its location is upon the east 

 bank of Blue River, upon section sixteen, in township eight, of 

 range one, west, in the county of Grant, where an extensive 

 group of many hundreds of various forms may be seen. The 

 numerical figures upon the drawing indicate its dimensions ; the 

 elevation of the figure at the breast is three feet, gradually di- 

 minishing toward the extremities of the wings, horns, and trunk, 

 until they all, in a measure, become blended with the general sur- 

 face. Bearings, east and west, with the head to the westward. 



Fig. 4 approaches nearer to the form of the " turtle/' so fre- 

 quently spoken of by writers on the antiquities of the west, than 

 any of the earth-works which have come under my notice in 

 this region. Having searched in vain for a figure which, with 

 a little stretch of the imagination, might be construed into the 

 form of a tortoise, I have concluded that figures such as the one 

 here represented, may have been by others styled the turtle. 

 Figures of this description are by no means scarce in this region ; 

 the location of this one is within two hundred yards north- 

 westwardly of the citadel represented in fig. 1 ; its length from 

 the tip of the nose to its posterior extremity is seventy six feet, 

 where in width it is eighteen feet, and over the projections rep- 



resenting claws, it is thirty seven feet ; the greatest elevation 





near the junction of the neck is thirty inches, and at the narrow 

 end fifteen inches; while the head, neck, and claws, are only 

 nine inches. The whole figure, having a permanent coat of 

 sward upon it, has retained its original shape in great perfection* 

 Bearings, east and west, the head to the eastward* 



