66 MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



Four skeletons were fouud at tlie poiuts indicated in the figure, all 

 lying horizontally at full length; 2 side by side near the center on 

 the gravel, with heads south and faces up; 1 at the north side on 

 the gravel, with head west and face northeast, and the other on the 

 south side, with head to the east. No implements or ornaments of any 

 kind were observed. It is probable that tumuli of this character are 

 the burial places of the common people. 



No. 17 was similar in every respect to No. 16 except that the excava- 

 tion was only to the depth of 1 foot, and that in it were S folded skele- 

 tons in no regular ordei', heads being in all directions. On the margin 

 of the excavation and rather above the natural surface of the ground 

 was a broken skull. 



No. 18, 20 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, unstratified, was com- 

 posed of earth similar to the surrounding soil. There were no indica- 

 tions that the original surface had been hollowed out in thie case, as in 

 most of the others of the group, nevertheless 2 broken skulls were 

 found a little south of the center at the depth of 3 feet, hence 1 foot 

 below the original surface. A few feet northwest of the center, scarcely 

 a foot below the surface of the mound, were 3 folded skeletons, and in 

 the center another lying at full length, head west and face up. The 

 height of the mound had been reduced by plowing. 



Fig. 26.— Mound No. 20 (section), Courtois group, Prairie du Cliien, Wis. 



No. 19, 25 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, was similar to No. 18. 

 Broken human bones were found in this tumulus to the depth of 

 6 inches, and 3 folded skeletons at dift'erent depths in no regular 

 order of burial. But, what is somewhat singular, the skull in each 

 case had been disconnected from and placed on top of the bundled 

 bones of the skeleton. 



No. 20, 70 feet in diameter and 5 feet high. This mound, as will 

 be seen by the section shown in Fig. 26, was stratified as follows: Top 

 layer of soil, 18 inches; next a hard mortar-like substance, or clay 

 mixed witli ashes, 2^ feet; below this a layer of black, sticky, wet 

 earth, 1 foot, and a bottom layer of sand 1 foot thick, extending to the 

 gravel 1 foot below the original surface of the ground. On the west 

 side, in the top layer, at the depth of from 9 to 12 inches, were 6 

 folded skeletons, and at the head of eacii a single sandstone of con- 

 siderable size. Other human bones occurred in the same layer at a 

 depth of from 6 to 9 inches,' which had been disturbed by the plow. 

 In this layer was also a small pile of lead ore, on it some burned 



■ The measurements indicating the depth of skeletons and articles are always to be understood to 



theupp<T .surface tliereof from tlie top of the mound. 



