YARROW. ] MOUND BURIAL—FLORIDA. 119 
later examined three circular mounds, but in them I found no dolmens. The first 
mound contained three adult human skeletons, a few fragments of the skeleton of a 
child, the lower maxillary of which indicated it to be about six years old. I also found 
claws of some carnivorous animal. The surface of the soil had been scooped out and 
the bodies laid in the excavation ‘and covered with about a foot of earth; fires had 
then been made upon the grave and the mound afterwards completed. The bones had 
not been charred. No charcoal was found among the bones, but occurred in abundance 
in a stratum about one foot above them. Two other mounds, examined at the same 
time, contain no remains. 
Of two other mounds, opened later, the first was circular, about 4 feet high, and 15 
feet in diameter at the base, and was situated on an elevated point of land close to the 
bank of the river. From the top of this mound one might view the country formany 
miles in almost any direction. On its summit was an oval altar 6 feet long and 4} 
wide. It was composed of flat pieces of limestone, which had been burned red, some 
portions having been almost converted into lime. On and about this altar I found 
abundance of charcoal. At the sides of the altar were fragments of human bones, some 
of which had been charred. It was covered by a natural growth of vegetable mold 
and sod, the thickness of which was about 10 inches. Large trees had once grown in 
this vegetable mold, but their stumps were so decayed I could not tell with certainty 
to what species they belonged. Another large mound was opened which contained 
nothing. 
The next account relates to the grave-mounds near Pensacola, Fla., 
and was originally published by Dr. George M. Sternberg, surgeon 
United States Army :* 
Before visiting the mound I was informed that the Indians were buried in it in an 
upright position, each one with a clay pot on his head. This idea was based upon 
some superficial explorations which had been made from time to time by curiosity 
hunters. Their excavations had, indeed, brought to light pots containing fragments 
of skulls, but not buried in the position they imagined. Very extensive explorations, 
made at different times by myself, have shown that only fragments of skulls and of the 
long bones of the body are to be found in the mound, and that these are commonly as- 
sociated with earthen pots, sometimes whole, but more frequently broken fragments 
only. In some instances portions of the skull were placed in a pot, and the long bones 
were deposited in its immediate vicinity. Again, the pots would contain only sand, 
and fragments of bones would be found nearthem. The most successful ‘‘ find” Imade 
was a whole nest of pots, to the number of half a dozen, all in a good state of preser- 
vation, and buried with a fragment of skull, which I take, from its small size, to have 
been that of afemale. Whether this female was thus distinguished above all others 
buried in the mound by the number of pots deposited with her remains because of her 
skill in the manufacture of such ware, or by reason of the unusual wealth of her sor- 
rowing husband, must remain a matter of conjecture. I found, altogether, fragments 
of skulls and thigh-bones belonging to at least fifty individuals, but in no instance did 
I find anything like a complete skeleton. ‘There were no vertebra, no ribs, no pelvic 
bones, and none of the small bones of the handsand feet. Two or three skulls, nearly 
perfect, were found, but they were so fragile that it was impossible to preserve them. 
In the majority of instances, only fragments of the frontal and parietal bones were 
found, buried in pots or in fragments of pots too small to have evercontained a complete 
skull. The conclusion was irresistible that this was not a burial-place for the bodies of 
deceased Indians, but that the bones had been gathered from some other locality for 
burial in this mound, or that cremation was practiced before burial, and the fragments 
of bone not consumed by fire were gathered and deposited in the mound. That the 
letter supposition is the correct one I deem probable from the fact that in digging in 
*Proc. Am. Ass. Adv. of Science, 1875, p. 288. 
