162 BUREAU OF AMERICAN" ETHNOLOGY [bull. 76 



Three groups are well marked in Phelps County. A mile east of 

 Rolla they begin at the line of the Frisco Railway and extend south- 

 ward in a shallow valley or " draw." Some are on the overflow 

 fiat bordering the little stream, but most of them are on the slopes to 

 either side. 



South of Dillon they extend for a mile in a slight depression. 



Beginning at the Soldier's Home in St. James, the largest number 

 yet found out of the swamp region lie for 2| miles on both sides of a 

 small creek running eastward north of the Frisco Railway. These 

 reach from low land subject to overflow to an elevation of fully 50 

 feet up the hillsides. 



Several groups occur in Pulaski County. Four miles southwest 

 of Big Piney post office, near the site of what is known as " The 

 Ranch House," is a little wet-weather stream along both banks of 

 which are probably a hundred of these structures. Farther up this 

 stream are two other groups, the three including a distance of about 

 4 miles in length between their outer limits. West of these and 

 south of Bloodland is a fourth group belonging with these. 



In the level bottom between Big Piney River and the branch flow- 

 ing from the Miller Spring 2 miles from Big Piney post office a 

 number of these mounds formerly existed; and on the opposite side 

 of the Big Piney, in an extensive bottom, were many of them. All 

 these have now disappeared under cultivation. 



On the outer bend of the Devil's Elbow, on Big Piney 3 miles 

 above its mouth, some of these mounds stood. They are described as 

 being from 2 to 3 feet high; the number was not stated, but there 

 is not room for many in the narrow strip where they were located. 



In the extreme western part of Morgan County, at Stover, is a 

 group scattered over an area at least half a mile across in any 

 direction. The distance between the mounds varies from 25 to 

 150 feet. They are mostly on gentle slopes, though some are on the 

 crest of the ridges. Many of these are well preserved, some of them 

 having never been under cultivation. 



In Osage County there are more than a hundred at the eastern 

 edge of Rich Fountain. They are in low flat ground which is muddy 

 or even boggy in wet weather. 



It will be noticed that all those from Alton westward and north- 

 westward are in line with the route from southeastern Missouri to 

 the plains of Kansas and Nebraska. 



Practically, however, the northern limit of this type, in great 

 numbers, is in St. Frangois County, near Farmington. From here 

 they extend almost continuously into Louisiana and Texas. 



In nearly every part of southern Missouri east of the Iron Mountain 

 Railway they occur in closely connected groups, reaching sometimes 

 for miles except where the continuity is broken by a slough or other 



