Emblematic Mounds. 



209 



We call attention to the mounds in the immediate vicinity of the 



so-called elephant effigy. The writer traversed the region in a reverse 



, order or direction from that which Mr. Strong piirsued, but was able to 



identify some of the groups which he mentions. There were no effigies in 



the vicinity, except two, whicli were^very nearly obliterated. 



There were several groups in the swails which cut through the bottoin 

 land in this vicinity, and to these wa first gave our attention. The swails 

 are the dry beds of water courses, which in the time of heavy rains, flow 

 out from gorges or so-called "coolies " in the bluff toward the bayous of 

 the river. These swails are generally in a direct line with the openings in 

 the bluffs, and extend from the foot of the bluffs across the sandy bottom 



land or terrace to the bayous. They are so much below the surface that 

 the mounds in them are not seen until one suddenly comes upon them as 

 he reaches the edge of the swail. The swail in which the so-called elephant 

 mound was placed was not exactly in a line with the rest but angles to the 



southwest, and where the effigy is, was much deeper than the other 

 swails . The method of arranging these mounds in the swails was pecu- 

 liar. They were placed in parallel rows which extended lengthwise of the 

 swail, sometimes three or four rows in each swail and in some of the swails 

 as many as thirty or forty mounds in a group. Four such groups were 



discovered by the writer in passing from the elephant mioimd, northward , 



the most of them composed of altei-nate rows of long mounds and round 

 m.ounds, arranged in parallel lines. There were no effigies in the swails, 

 merely round and long mounds. Tha only place where effigies were dis- 

 covered was on the terrace or bottom land outside of a swail about a mile 

 north from the elephant effigy, on wliit was called the Bagley place. These 

 effigies ware nearly oblitei'ated but se3m3d to have been very large in size , 

 and possibly one or two of them may have resembled in shape the &^%Y 

 which is called the elephant. Bat the figures ware so far gone that no 



effigy could really be traced. 



It should b3 said of these that if one ware determined to make out the 

 existence of the elephant and camel effigies, the shadowy shape left 

 upon the surface of the soil might easily satisfy him. There were two 

 N 



