80 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



Mound No. 8 



Mound No. 8, situated very close to Mound No. 7, was roughly 

 circular, 36 feet in diameter and 4 feet high on its flattened top. It 

 was built throughout of earth, limestone dust, and blocks of lime- 

 stone. Projecting from the western edge of the mound was a large, 

 roughly hewn block of limestone, 3 feet by 4 feet, and 8 inches in 

 thickness. Running through the center of the momid from east to 

 west were two parallel rows of limestone flags, 2 feet apart, projecting 

 18 inches from the limestone rock upon which the mound was erected 

 and in which they were embedded. Near the center of the mound, 

 between the rows of limestone flags and resting on the earth, covered 

 only with limestone dust, was found a single interment. The skull 

 is shown in plate 14. Its dimensions are: Length, 17.01 cm.; 

 breadth, 16.51 cm.; height, 10.68 cm.; circumference, 51.30 cm.; 

 cephalic index, 97. The body, which was stretched at full length, 

 had probably been laid face downward, as the bones of the forearms, 

 also shown in plate 14, were found beneath the skull. With the 



Fig. 26.— Circular openings leading into natural cavity. 



bones of the hands were found four copper rmgs, considerably 

 oxidized; three were plain narrow bands, while the fourth was a 

 broad flat band decorated with incised double volutes. Some of the 

 phalanges were colored a bright-greenish tinge, from contact with the 

 rings. Three of the rings and three phalanges are shown in plate 

 14. These bones were all in a remarkably good state of preservation, 

 probably owing to the fact that they were completely surrounded by 

 fine hmestone dust. 



Within a few yards of this mound was the opening of a small 

 chultun, with steps leading to the interior. It was oval in shape, 

 15 feet long, and at one time had been covered with plaster, which 

 had nearly aU peeled off. The floor was covered with earth, of 

 which there was a pyramidal heap under the openmg. Nothing 

 was found in this chultun except great quantities of fragments of 

 large, rough earthenware water vessels. 



About 300 yards to the east of the mound tlu'ee circular openings 

 were found (see AAA, fig. 26) leading into a large irregular natural 

 cavity (see C,fig. 26) formed in the limestone (see BB, fig. 26). Each of 



