4 



ficial extent it once had. The part now left is nearly semi- 

 circular, and its radius about forty feet. During the present 

 generation, it is stated that bones have been seen projecting 

 from its river-ward face, and have been found in the debris 

 at the bottom of the bank. The earth of which the mound is 

 composed is that of the black surface mould found surround- 

 ing it. The situation of the mound is where a low, flattish 

 ridge runs into the river from the plain, and from the gently 

 rising crest of this ridge, the earth for the mound was prob- 

 ably taken. The mound is plainly of artificial origin, though 

 nO trace of excavation is to be seen. 



Another fact is worthy of notice, viz., that several excava- 

 tions had been already made in the mound, some of these by 

 observers for the Smithsonian Institution, some from mere 

 curiosity, and one by two young medical students, seeking 

 bones for the purposes of study. The workmen, under the 

 direction of officers of the Society, began at the brink and dug 

 away the earth as deep as the original soil, throwing what they 

 removed down the bank. They thus cleared all before them, 

 and the earth was carefully observed as it was removed. 



Before proceeding very far it was plain that unless care 

 were taken to see the part of the mound from which the re- 

 mains came there might be such a confusion as would render 

 all results valueless. Indeed, not only does the observer need 

 a good eye, but a reasoning faculty as well to bring up the 

 various disturbing elements that may enter in. For instance, 

 the possibility arose that supposing the mound to have been 

 one of early sepulture, later interments" might have taken place 

 in it. When the body of a sailor is found thrown up on the 

 sea shore after a storm, the coastmen will bury it beside a 

 stone or near a spot marked by some striking object ; so the 

 Indian finding a burial-mound of earlier times, may be dis- 

 posed to bury his dead upon it. With this thought in the 

 mind of the writer, a close watch was kept to distinguish the 

 original from later and superficial interments. 



As expected, a large number of bones was found near the 

 surface of the mound, about a foot beneath it. It may be well 

 to describe these first. The remains did not consist of skeletons 

 in regular order, but seemingly of skulls laid around in a 

 circular form ; of a dozen or two of thigh bones placed to- 

 gether, then of other bones of the same part, a new lot of 

 skulls, and so on. From actual count there were enough of 

 skulls to represent upwards of thirty distinct skeletons. The 

 bones seemed to be those of warriors ; for in the case of one 

 skull lying face downward, drawn out with care by the writer, 



