534 TEE 310 U^D BUILDERS IN MISSOURI. 



judge v/erc made to knead the clay and perhaps smoothe the surface of the 

 pottery; several small cylindrical shaped articles, about one inch in length, 

 which reminds us of a bottle stopper, and may have been worn in the ear 

 or lip as ornaments. I have one made of shell, one of Fluor Spar, and sev- 

 eral of pottery, all about the same size; smooth stones weighing from one 

 to ten ounces are found bearing marks of long use ; flat stones about the 

 size of the palm of the hand with a depression on each side— may have 

 been used in grinding colors, as small pieces of red Hematite were found 

 with them ; pieces of sandstone ground, showing they had been used as 

 whetstones ; several small discoidal stones from one to one and one-half inch- 

 es in diameter, some of them entirely perforated in the center ; other discor- 

 dels or Avhorls and marbles, made of clay ; a small mask of same material ; a 

 few large shells from the sea, having been cut in shape to form a convenient 

 dipper. 



We found only three pieces of native copper, two of which appeared to 

 have been used as pendant ornaments, being in the form of the sunfish, 

 about three inches in length. On a small disc of wood about one and a 

 half inches in diameter, was found a very thin plate of copper. This was 

 perforated at the center. 



This was all the metal found. We found several pieces of galena which 

 had the appearance of having been worn by constant use. 



Several pieces of cannel coal, wrought in curious shapes, nicely polished, 

 still retain their smooth surface. One of these, I believe, was worn as a lip 

 ornament. 



JS'othing like grain or any woven fabrics have been found to ray knowl- 

 edge. 



About two miles north of Charleston another grave was discovered ear- 

 ly this summer. It was in an open plain occupied as an orchard. It had 

 been cultivated many years and the burials were very near the surface. 



Three miles east of Chai'leston on the M^ississippi bottom, or overflow, 

 is a mound about 100 feet long by 75 feet wide, 15 feet'high. Long cultivation 

 must have much reduced its original proportions. This is the only large 

 burial mound, to my knowledge, in this vicinity. This one seemed to have 

 been crowded full. Here the earth is quite moist, a very heavy adhesive 

 mixture of clay and sand. Here the bones are not as well preseryed and the 

 pottery was softer and coarser, very easily broken, but great quantities have 

 been buried here. 



About 100 feet north is a similar shaped mound, about one-half the size 

 of the one last mentioned. Upon this lay the remains of a fallen oak not 

 less than 3 feet in diameter. We dug about 4 feet from this stump and 

 about 2 feet below the surface, came to the charred remains of a post or 

 stake about 4 inches in diameter. We uncovered it about 4 feet, finding a 

 quantity of charred human bones, and below this for about 18 inches the 

 stake was not charred, but decayed. Very little pottery was found in this 

 mound. 



