102 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
plant used for such cloth did not come from the exogens, but the struct- 
ural evidence is too scanty and indistinct to justify me in speaking more 
decidely. 
The whole subject is of sufficient interest to warrant further study 
and comparison, and if any new facts of identification should appear I 
will write you. If you desire a slide of the material mounted for study, 
I can send one. 
Very respectfully, 
a: G. HUNT tee 
1802 Wallace Street. 
Prof. SPENCER IF’. BAIRD. 
PHILADELPHIA, March 13, 1881. 
DEAR Sire: I have now carefully examined all these specimens of 
grass sent by Doctor Vasey, and not one of them enters into the tissue 
of the mound cloth. I therefore arrive at the following conclusions re- 
garding the cloth: It is made of vegetable matter. Only one plant en- 
ters into its composition. It is not cotton, flax, hemp. jute, manila, or 
any other fiber now used by civilized people in manufacture. It is not 
a fiber at all, but all or most of the stem has been used for the purpose. 
There has been no attempt made by those ancient weavers to separate 
any special fiber from the plant, and it is probable that they were ig- 
norant of the process of rotting and hackling (so ancient), and now 
often used for that purpose. The fragments of this unknown plant pre- 
sent no distinct structural remains; not a cell can be seen. The only 
feature which may sometime lead to identification is an appearance of 
septa, crossing and apparently separating some fragments into indis- 
tinct divisions, as seen in this little figure [drawing]. If the material 
had been a grass we would have found some trace of epidermal struct- 
ures, because in most of such plants silica imperishably preserves their 
structures. I think, therefore, that the bark of some other than a gram- 
inaceous plant has been used for the purpose. Again, I have been 
tanght how limited is our knowledge of things. We know the names 
of enough things to overstock seven worlds, but of things we don’t 
know enough to identify this plant of the ancient mound-weavers. 
Very respectfully, 
J..@ HONT OE 
Prof. SPENCER F. BAIRD. 
