44 BURIAL MOUNDS OF THE NORTHERN SECTIONS. 
form. In No. 3,! diameter 35 feet and height 5 feet, situated in the cen- 
tral portion, was found a stone coffin or cist 7 feet long and 2 feet wide, 
formed of slabs of sandstone in the usual manner. This was covered 
first with similar slabs and then the whole incased in a layer of rougher 
stones. Over this was a layer of hard éarth, which was evidently in a 
plastic state when placed there, as it had run into and filled up the in- 
terstices. Above this was a foot or more of yellowish earth, similar to 
that forming the ridge. In the coffin was the skeleton of an adult, ly- 
ing horizontally on the back, but too far gone to decay to admit of re- 
moval. No specimens of art of any kind were found with it. 
No. 4, a trifle smaller than No. 3, was opened by running a trench 
from the eastern margin. For a distance of 15 or 16 feet nothing was 
encountered except the earth, with which it appeared to be covered to 
the depth of 2 feet. Here was found a layer of rough stones covering a 
mass of charcoal and ashes with bones intermixed. In fact the indica- 
tions leave the impression that one or more persons (or their bones) had 
been burned in a fire on the natural surface of the earth near the cen- 
ter of the mound, the coals and brands of which were then covered 
with rough stones thrown in, without any system, to the depth of 3 feet, 
over a space 10 or 12 feet in diameter, and then covered with earth. 
Only fragments of charred human bones, pieces of rude pottery, and 
stone chips were found commingled with the charcoal and ashes. 
Another group on the farm of Mr. J. N. Boulware, near the line be- 
tween Clarke and Lewis counties, was examined by the same party. 
This group, which is situated on a bench or terrace from 20 to 40 feet 
above the Mississippi bottoms, consists of some 55 or 60 ordinary cireu- 
lar mounds of comparatively small size. 
In one of these, 45 feet in diameter and 5 feet high, were found, near 
the top, the fragments of a human skeleton much decayed, and broken 
pottery, encircled by a row of flat stones set up edgewise and covered 
with others of a similar character. Below these was a layer of very 
hard light-colored earth, mixed throughout with fragments of charred 
human bones and pottery, charcoal and stone chips. 
Another, about 60 feet in diameter, was found to consist (except the 
top layer of soil, about 1 foot thick) of hard, dried ‘‘mortar” (apparently 
clay and ashes mixed), in which fragments of charred human bones, 
small rounded pieces of pottery, and stone scrapers were mingled with 
charcoal and ashes. 
“As all the mounds opened here,” remarks the assistant, ‘‘ presented 
this somewhat singular feature, I made a very careful examination of 
this mortar-like substance. I found that there were differences be- 
tween different portions of the same mound sufficiently marked to trace 
the separate masses. This would indicate that the mounds were built 
by successive deposits of mortar thus mixed with charred bones, and 
not in strata but in masses.” . 
1 Counting from the southern end of the line. 
