534 TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



mentation. They were found at various depths beneath the 

 soil, many having a covering of thirty-three feet. Owing to their 

 resemblance to a spinning-top he calls them whorls^ and ex- 

 presses the opinion that they were emblems of ancient Aryan 

 sun-worship. 



Contiguous to this settlement, between it and the swamp, there 

 are several mounds. One immediately on the bank was not less 

 than twelve feet high, and between thirty and forty feet long by 

 twenty wide, running parallel with the swamp. An excavation 

 to a depth of eight feet was made in the top of this mound and 

 careful examinations instituted along the margin of the same, but 

 nothing whatever of interest was found. I conjectured that it 

 was erected for the observance of religious ceremonies, as it was. 

 directly opposite the principal mound where the dead were de- 

 posited in great numbers. I desired to cross section this mound 

 to the surface of the ground in search of an altar, but felt con- 

 strained to defer it until I had more time at my disposal. 



There must have been deposited in the adjacent mound at least 

 three hundred bodies — it was the largest of the several burial 

 places of the inhabitants. The mode of raising this mound was 

 apparently by first depositing a layer of the dead over the space 

 appropriated for the purpose and covering them to a depth of 

 about fourteen inches. After this had been accomplished a second 

 layer was commenced, gradually contracting the circle to give 

 the required slope. When the mound had received all the bodies 

 that was desirable, soft clay was spread over the whole surface, 

 after which followed a final covering of sand. The coating of 

 clay was probably intended to prevent the penetration of water. 

 In the manner described the mound was gradually raised to a 

 height of about seven feet. All the skeletons were found on the 

 north, south, and east sides of the ciixle, while the west next the 

 swamp and the adjacent mound just mentioned was destitute of 

 everything except pieces of broken pottery and a few scraps of 

 bone. As a reason for this omission to fill the space on the west 

 as on the other three sides with the remains of their friends, 

 I can only conjecture, that, as the mound immediately on the 

 bank of the swamp had been consecrated to their forms of wor- 

 ship, the latter was regarded by them as too sacred to be conta- 

 minated with the near presence of the dead. Notwithstanding 



