36 MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



survey of any of tlic. groups could be made. Tlie elongate mounds or 

 euibaidvmeuts range from 1 to 2i feet higli aud from 100 to 300 feet 

 long. In tlie form sliovring espansious or mounds at the ends, no per- 

 ceptible difference was noticed between the height of tlie mounds at 

 the ends and the bank between them. They are composed of gravelly 

 soil and in size are, as a rule, quite low and broad. Seven of these 

 peculiar mounds were noticed just south of the junction of the South 

 Antler, within 1 mile of Sourisford post-ofBce. Two or more of this 

 form sometimes occur either in an imbricated iiosition or at right 

 angles to one another, as in Fig. 2. Their jiositions and appearance 

 are such as to prechule the idea that they were used for defense. 



^>'%//(/w/lil(lllllil/!lili(ll(/l/)l||ll/lilll|||li;)ll)iijmi,liillli(\y<^% 



%)j(#*ii/iiiiiiiiiHiiiii((iiirtiiiiiiim(ifi(ii((ii(ii//i;(ii/ii(iiiMii;(« 



^^''''%llllllWlflili|ii|i«i(li|liiWlilimi)||i;ii;/iliim)iji)i(iimi(()K^*% 

 ^(\\\>(iiwiiii«iii«i(ii«/iiiiilii(i;it(iiiiii(ii(!)ittliiiiiiiiliii(iWiiWifi)//fe^,^ 



:^ -^/(((iiiiMiiii riiiiiiiiiiiii llllll|T|ll||nl|ll^llll||||(|J|l||lm||l||||||^l||f^§w'l»^ 



^rf''*''''*''''''''"'''"'''*''''"*'''''^'''''"'''''''"*'"'*'*™'''''''"'*'"'"'^^ ^ 



Fig. 2. — Elonj;ati- nupuiKLs, Souris river, Mauiloba. 



Some are situated along the brink of the precipitous river bluff, while 

 others lie farther inward ujion the prairie level. The mounds or expan- 

 sions at the extremities of one were ilug into but without any result. 



Mounds of this character were also seen down the Souris river across 

 the South Antler. Large numbers of them lie between that stream 

 and the junction of the North Antler, 14 miles distant. They range 

 from 2 to 8 feet in height. The larger ones had been explored by set- 

 tlers. One, 5 feet high, situated near the left bluff of the South Antler, 

 was composed throughout of the gravelly jirairie soil, intermingled con- 

 siderably with buffalo bones. The bones of four skeletons were found 

 in a confused condition in a pit dug in the originid surface of the ground. 

 A catlinite pipe of the tubular variety, curving towards the base, and 

 many pieces of broken pottery were found with them. These pottery 

 fragments are ornamented with straight incisions, and are composed 

 of ill mixture of clay tempered with tine sand or pulverized granite. 



In another, 8 feet high, composed, like the last, of the gravelly prairie 

 soil, the bodies or boues of live skeletous were found buried beneath 



