302 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Buun. 185 
of fire-baked earth underlying a stratum of gray soil and “numerous 
slabs of limestone.” A layer of dark humus had accumulated over the 
entire structure since the time of its construction. Recovered from 
the intermediate soil zone were the remains of two human bundle 
burials and three stone artifacts. There was no clear distinction be- 
tween the earth in the mound and the old soil level, which would seem 
to indicate that the mound was a natural rise. Affiliations with the 
Nebraska Aspect were postulated for Mound No. 2. Resemblances 
between 14.) W207 and the Weeping Water Mound may be noted in 
their geographic locations and stratigraphic composition. Burned 
areas exist in each, but are more extensive in Mound No. 2. Both 
mounds have a covering of limestone slabs and dirt matrix, but the 
slabs are more numerous and constitute a more definite stratum at 
14J W207. 
At the Pawnee Creek site (25CC2) in Cass County, Nebr., a circular 
depression of limestone slabs was excavated (Hill and Cooper, 1938 b). 
Evidence suggests that the rocks were once sustained by a wooden 
framework that had since rotted and collapsed. A 7.5-foot square pit 
containing human bone fragments existed under the slabs. One rim 
and two body sherds were recovered from the soil above the rocks. 
As early as 1875 rock-slab-covered mounds containing human 
burials were excavated on the north side of the Rock River, opposite 
the town of Milan, Ill. (Lindley, 1876). They were located on a high 
ridge and arranged in two rows forming aT. The mounds were 380 
feet in diameter and 7 to 9 inches in height. 
One mile east of Moline, Ill, a group of 33 conical and linear 
mounds was located. One mound, No. 5, was excavated and found 
to be covered with two layers of limestone. The mound was 46 feet 
long, 6 feet broad, and a few inches high (Gass, 1881). No cultural 
material was recovered from the fill. 
The foregoing descriptions of mound sites have been presented in 
order to demonstrate the wide variety of traits that are exhibited by 
“rock-covered mounds” within the central Great Plains and adjacent 
areas. Numerous mounds of this type were reported in the latter part 
of the 19th century, but by the time more exact archeological pro- 
cedures were perfected, it appears that many of the mounds had been 
destroyed. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the tumuli are easily 
recognizable as artificial and were reputed to contain valuable items. 
The sites described in this report show a wide range of traits. Some 
of the mounds are grouped together, others are scattered singly. Usu- 
ally they are circular, but this is not always the case. Their sizes 
range from over 80 feet to less than 6 feet in diameter, with heights 
from 5 feet to only a few inches above the surrounding surface. A 
few contain stone cists, others simply unlined burial pits, and the 
