166 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts and Letters. 



(&.) The beauty of the spot and the advantages furnished 

 by the well- drained and shaded ground would indicate that 

 it had been used as a village site. Not all villages are as 

 favorably situated as this^butthe advantages were too man- 

 ifest for any one to deny them in this case. 



(5.) The artificial works of the locality impressed us. 

 The first object which engaged attention was the effigy of 

 a huge panther. This was situated on the edge of the hill 

 at a point where the small stream breaks through into the 

 valley of the Fox river. The eiSBgy stretches along the brow 

 of this hill overlooking the valley of the river, its immense 

 body and tail forming a guard against approach to the 

 caches on the banks of the stream above, and protecting the 

 village site at this point. The effigy is a peculiar one; it 

 represents the panther as standing with head erect, the legs 

 straight, but the body extremely attenuated, as if the animal 

 was in the last stage of starvation. The position of the 

 effigy was also peculiar, while its immense body and tail 

 stretched along the hillside toward the little stream at the 

 north, and terminated at the very edge of the bluff in this 

 direction. Its head fronted the opening to the village itself, 

 and the attitude was as if the animal was looking directly 

 into the village, and was there watching and waiting for 

 some object that might satisfy its appetite. Such at least 

 was the impression made upon the imagination by the 

 figure. The contrast between this effigy and the one guard- 

 ing the caches in the rear of the village was marked. In 

 the first place the Q^gj was much longer and more 

 definitely raarked. Again, it was situated on the brow of 

 the hill, overlooking the land adjoining. Its attitude and 

 shape were peculiar. Our conclusion was that the effigy was 

 stationed near the village site, with the head fronting the 

 opening, in the attitude as if guarding the gateway. 



At the entrance of the village site there was a series of 

 oblong mounds. These mounds were arranged so as to 

 make a double guard; two of them formed an angle toward 

 the north, at the opening of which was the panther effigy 

 two others formed] an angle to the south, leaving openings 

 at either end and between them, but so arranged as to form 



