234 APPENDIX. 



the depth of two feet or more, as close as the stones of a pavement, and so 

 beaten down by the succeeding herds as to make it difficult to lift them from 

 (heir bed. 



As will be seen from the accompanying diagram, there seems to have been 

 some degradation of the surface of this swamp after the deposition of many 

 of the mastodon remains, and before the coming of the buffalo. This lower- 

 ing of level was apparently consequent on the erosion of the bed of the 

 small creek that drains the valley. The old elevated beds had probably 

 washed a good deal when the buffalo came, but it was principally by its 

 wallowing and stamping that the bones of the mastodon, elephants. &c., were 

 exposed to the air.* At no point in this old ground did I find a trace of the 

 buflalo, though in some of it the bones identified by Mr. Allen as belong- 

 ing to Orribo& were found. There, too, were found the bones of the moose 

 and caribou. I am inclined to believe from these investigations that the 

 Bison americanua did not appear at Big Bone Lick until a very recent time. 



All the observations made by the Kentucky Survey in the caverns of the 

 Stale, and the neighboring district of Tennessee, have led to the discovery 

 of no bison remains in these subterranean receptacles, where the bones of the 

 beaver, deer, wolf, bear, and many other mammals have been discovered. The 

 observation of the officers of the Survey to be published hereafter will show 

 that our caves have been used as the homes of the living and the receptacles 

 of the dead by more than one of the earlier tribes of this region, but they 

 seem never to have brought the hones of this animal to the caves. 



Some years ago I ventured to call attention to the general absence of the 

 remains of this animal in all the mounds of the historic or prehistoric races, 

 and to the fact that on their pipes and pottery, though they figure every 

 other indigenous mammal ami some of the birds of this region, Beeking their 

 models even in the maiiitee of Florida. I have never been aide to find any 

 trace of buflalo bones in any of the mounds which -i) (.lien contain hones 



of other animals, nor have I I n able t" ascertain that they have ever been 



found in such places. At an ancient camping-ground on the Ohio River, 

 ah. nit twelve miles above Cincinnati, where the remains are covered b) allu- 

 via] soil of apparently some antiquity, and where the pottery (hereafter to he 



Bgured in the Me in of the Survey) is rather more ancient in character 



than that made l>\ our modern Indians. I found hones of deer. elk. hear. I.>\. 



&c, l mi t none of buflalo. At a number of other old camps on the Ohio River 



n the habit* '.i the buffalo in thii regard, t» the preceding Memoir d Mr. AJlen, p. 84, 



