﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES, 
  303 
  

  

  proprietor 
  of 
  the 
  land, 
  to 
  fill 
  up 
  a 
  '• 
  pond 
  hole 
  " 
  which 
  lay 
  immediately 
  at 
  the 
  

   east 
  side 
  of 
  it. 
  A 
  few 
  human 
  bones, 
  and 
  some 
  mortars 
  and 
  pestles, 
  were 
  ex- 
  

   humed 
  by 
  the 
  plow 
  and 
  scraper. 
  

  

  The 
  mound 
  now 
  occupied 
  for 
  a 
  dwelling-place 
  is 
  analagous 
  to 
  the 
  kitchen- 
  

   middens 
  of 
  Denmark. 
  Not 
  so 
  with 
  the 
  neighboring 
  tumulus, 
  which 
  evinces 
  

   design. 
  The 
  pyramidal 
  mound 
  — 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  accompaning 
  sketch 
  — 
  can- 
  

   not 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  accident. 
  It 
  is 
  as 
  shapely 
  in 
  outline 
  as 
  a 
  

   well 
  laid 
  pile 
  of 
  brick 
  or 
  stone. 
  Abbe 
  Doraenech, 
  who 
  spent 
  seven 
  years 
  among 
  

   the 
  aboriginal 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  Indians 
  do 
  no 
  special 
  work 
  

   for 
  mere 
  whim 
  or 
  pastime 
  — 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  definite 
  object 
  in 
  their 
  labor." 
  This 
  

   mound 
  bespeaks 
  a 
  similar 
  sentiment. 
  It 
  conveys 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  human 
  hands 
  

   gave 
  it 
  existence 
  and 
  figure, 
  for 
  a 
  purpose. 
  That 
  purpose 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  for 
  

   an 
  oratory, 
  for 
  sacrificial 
  customs, 
  or 
  feasts 
  for 
  the 
  tribal 
  chiefs. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Gibbons 
  called 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  to 
  some 
  pota- 
  

   toes, 
  which 
  had 
  grown 
  from 
  last 
  year's 
  crop, 
  coming 
  to 
  maturity 
  

   this 
  year, 
  without 
  throwing 
  up 
  any 
  shoots 
  above 
  ground. 
  He 
  stated 
  

   that 
  last 
  year 
  he 
  communicated 
  the 
  fact 
  to 
  the 
  Academy, 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  some 
  potatoes 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   the 
  tubers 
  having 
  apparently 
  developed 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  without 
  

   a 
  stem. 
  In 
  Dr. 
  Gibbons' 
  garden 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   different 
  sized 
  potatoes 
  of 
  recent 
  formation, 
  without 
  stems, 
  or 
  with 
  

   very 
  little 
  stem. 
  How 
  they 
  got 
  into 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  how 
  they 
  were 
  

   produced 
  is 
  the 
  question. 
  Last 
  summer 
  there 
  were 
  small 
  potatoes 
  

   left 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  from 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  During 
  the 
  

   winter 
  they 
  probably 
  passed 
  into 
  maturity, 
  until 
  they 
  had 
  at- 
  

   tained 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  an 
  egg 
  and 
  larger, 
  when 
  they 
  throw 
  up 
  a 
  stem. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  strange 
  fact 
  in 
  vegetable 
  economy, 
  if 
  not 
  in 
  agriculture. 
  I 
  

   recently 
  noticed 
  a 
  statement 
  concerning 
  volunteer 
  potatoes, 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  like 
  these, 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  watery. 
  These, 
  though 
  

   large, 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  good. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  throw 
  up 
  a 
  

   shoot, 
  they 
  stop 
  growing. 
  It 
  then 
  takes 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  tuber 
  and 
  

   throws 
  out 
  roots. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Gibbes 
  announced 
  that 
  Major 
  Sparrow 
  Purdy, 
  a 
  corres- 
  

   ponding 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Academy, 
  now 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  ex- 
  

   pedition 
  in 
  Upper 
  Egypt, 
  had 
  been 
  making 
  an 
  extensive 
  collection 
  

   of 
  curiosities 
  for 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  the 
  Academy. 
  Major 
  Purdy 
  may 
  

   be 
  able 
  to 
  ship 
  his 
  collection 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  arrive 
  in 
  August. 
  

  

  