Miscellanies. 199 



similar case, that of an anonymous correspondent, in relation to Big Bone 

 Lick, Kentucky, (see Vol. xx. p. 372,) we are encouraged to try a similar 

 expedient again. We have copied the article from the Philadelphia Pres- 

 byterian of Jan. 12, 1839, 



" It is with the greatest pleasure, the writer of this article can state, 

 from personal knowledge, that one of the largest of these animals has 

 actually been stoned and buried by Indians, as appears from implements 

 found among the ashes, cinders, and half burned wood and bones of the 

 animal. The circumstances are as follows : 



" A farmer in Gasconade county, Missouri, lat. 38^20' N. Ion. 92° W., 

 wished to improve his spring, and in doing so, discovered, about five 

 feet beneath the surface, a part of the back and hip bone. Of this 

 I was informed by Mr. Wash, and not doubting but the whole, or 

 nearly the whole skeleton might be discovered, I went there and found 

 as had been stated, also a knife made of stone. I immediately com- 

 menced opening a much larger space; the first layer of earth was a 

 vegetable mould, then a blue clay, then sand and blue clay. I found 

 a large quantity of pieces of rocks, weighing from two to twenty-five 

 pounds each, evidently thrown there with the intention of hitting some 

 object. It is necessary to remark, that not the least sign of rocks or 

 gravel is to be found nearer than from four to five hundred yards ; and 

 that these pieces were broken from larger rocks, and consequently car- 

 ried here for some express purpose. After passing through these rocks, 

 I came to a layer of vegetable mould ; on the surface of this was found 

 the first blue bone, with this a spear and axe ; the spear corresponds pre- 

 cisely with our common Indian spear, the axe is different from any one I 

 have seen. Also on this earth was ashes, nearly from six inches to 

 one foot in depth, intermixed with burned wood, and burned bones, 

 broken spears, axes, knives, di-c. The fire appeared to have been the 

 largest on the head and neck of the animal, as the ashes and coals were 

 much deeper here than in the rest of the body ; the skull was quite per- 

 fect, but so much burned, that it crumbled to dust on the least touch ; 

 two feet from this, was found two teeth broken off from the jaw, but 

 mashed entirely to pieces. By putting them together, they showed the 

 animal to have been much larger than any heretofore discovered. It ap- 

 peared by the situation of the skeleton, that the animal had been sunk 

 with its hind feet in the mud and water, and unable to extricate itself, 

 had fallen on its right side, and in that situation was found and killed as 

 above described, consequently the hind and fore foot on the right side, 

 were sunk deeper in the mud, and thereby saved from the effects of the 

 fire ; therefore I was able to preserve the whole of the hind foot to the 

 very last joint, and the fore foot all but some few small bones, that were 

 too much decayed to be worth saving. Also between the rocks that had 

 sunk through the ashes, was found large pieces of skin, that appeared 



