438 ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS—II [ETH. ANN. 44 
At once the structure was ascertained to be composed almost 
entirely of shells, interspersed with the ordinary débris of an Indian 
village. Such earth as occurred filling the interstices between the 
shells was due to accumulations from floods; from mud brought in 
on the feet of those using the place; and from dust carried in by 
winds. It comprised probably 10 per cent of the mass, being some- 
what greater at the bottom of the heap and becoming progressively 
less toward the top as the mound grew to such proportions that it 
was less frequently submerged. 
Deposits of earth, considerable in number but small in amount, 
seem to have been carried in purposely to furnish a better founda- 
tion for fires than was offered by the loose shells; such “ fireplaces,” 
more or less hardened and discolored by heat, occurred at various 
levels in all parts of the excavation. 
There was no evidence of such stratification or of any such differ- 
ence of character in the material found as to denote that the site had 
been used by peoples of diverse cultures, either at the same or at 
different times; or that it had been abandoned for long periods and 
occupancy resumed later. True, the shells at the bottom were softer 
and more decayed than those higher up; but not to a greater extent 
than would naturally result from the fact that they had not only 
been there much longer but had all the time been exposed to a greater 
degree of moisture. There was a sort of stratification in places, as 
if the shells had been carried to the edge of a refuse pile and thrown 
along the margin in order to keep the surface level for the greater 
convenience of those living on it; but there was an equal or greater 
amount of material thrown carelessly in any available spot. 
Scattered promiscuously among the débris were the usual objects 
found on Indian village sites: A large number of flint implements, 
more than a bushel, mostly knives or spearheads, the majority of 
them broken; cooking stones in abundance, usually cracked or shat- 
tered, but some showing only slight traces of heat; cupstones, none 
with more than five or six depressions; a few mortars; quantities of 
stones showing marks of use as hammers, others apparently pestles 
or rubbing ‘stones, nearly all used in their natural shape or showing 
but slight marks of a dressing tool; hundreds of pointed bone imple- 
ments, such as are usually called “ needles,” “ awls,” or “ perforators,” 
among them many spines from the dorsal fins of large catfish and 
drumfish; numerous flaking tools and other implements made of 
antler, some with holes drilled in the ends for inserting flint or bone 
points; only a few fragments of pottery; mammal and bird bones, 
with a large preponderance of those from deer, broken in small 
pieces, and of various species of fish. Some of these are shown in 
Plates 70 to 74. 
