2 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL, 37 
‘‘Center’’ is the vertical line from base to summit of a mound 
regular in form, or from the middle point within the area covered 
in the case of a structure unevenly built, or subsequently altered in 
form. 
A ‘“‘doubled,” or ‘‘folded,” skeleton or body is one which was bent 
at the joints before burial, so as to occupy less space. Sometimes 
only the legs were bent, but usually the knees were drawn up to the 
chin and the feet against the hips. Perhaps this custom occasionally 
had an occult significance, but in general it was resorted to merely 
to avoid the labor of digging a large grave. Nearly all the bodies 
thus bent were laid on the side, though some were placed on the 
back. This method of inhumation is probably the basis of numerous 
reports concerning ‘‘bodies buried in a sitting [or squatting, or 
crouching] position.’’ It has never been the fortune of the present 
writer, or of any of his coworkers, to find remains to which any of 
these terms are applicable. 
‘Skeleton burial’? means one in which the bones were denuded of 
flesh before interment. 
‘‘Bundled’’ bones are those whose position in the earth indicates 
that some care was taken, or at least an attempt made, to place a 
disarticulated frame, or portions of it, in somewhat regular order. 
‘“‘Bunched’’ bones are those thrown in carelessly or at random, 
apparently in a reckless fashion. 
Except as definitely specified otherwise, all mounds mentioned in 
this report are of the so-called conical form. Of course, no mound 
was ever ‘‘conical;’’ mounds could not be built in that shape, nor 
would it be possible for a heap of earth to hold this form through 
the first rain. ‘‘Dome-shaped’’ would be a better term in this con- 
nection. 
In descriptions of mounds, especially of those in cultivated fields, 
measures of height and diameter are usually given to the nearest foot 
and nearest five feet, respectively. Accurate measurements are 
nearly always impossible, because on sloping ground the margin of 
the base can not be determined. The actual height of a mound can 
seldom be definitely ascertained until its bottom is reached. The 
distance between mounds of a particular group is measured from 
center to center as they now stand. 
Frequently, vegetation is so scanty on the ridges, exposed as 
they are to excessive denudation by winds and rains, that sod and 
roots do not leave a distinct stratum at the plane separating natural 
from dumped earth. In these cases it is necessary to remove not 
only the mound itself, but also the soil on which it stands, until the 
subsoil is reached. Only thus can the explorer be assured that he is 
not passing over a grave or other aboriginal excavation beneath the 
tumulus which is being examined. Such procedure often involves 
