beneath is generally found to be burnt to some considerable depth; 

 sometimes, indeed, it is burned to a fine red color, and approaches some- 

 what to brick. When it was intended that the remains should be col- 

 lected together, and placed in an urn for interment, I apprehend from 

 careful examination, that the urn, being formed of clay, * •■■ * 

 was placed in the funeral fire, and then baked, while the body of the 

 deceased was being consumed. The remains of the calcined bones, the 

 flints, etc., were then gathered up together and placed in the urn ; over 

 which the mound was next raised. When it was not intended to use an 

 urn, then the remains were collected together, piled up in a small heap, 

 or occasionally enclosed in a skin or cloth, and covered to some little 

 thickness with earth, and occasionally with small stones. Another fire 

 was then lit on the top of this small mound, which had the effect of 

 baking the earth, and enclosing the remains of calcined bones, etc., in a 

 kind of crust, resembling in color and hardness a partly baked brick. 

 Over this, as usual, the mound was afterward raised." Page 83. 



A chemical analysis will doubtless throw farther light upon these 

 points. Below this layer at a varying depth, but of 8 or 9 inches on 

 the average, a second layer was reached similar in character to the up- 

 per one. The space between was filled with clay like that composing 

 the mound. The relative portion of these two layers is seen in the 

 accompanying diagram (Plate 1, Fig. 6). At the point of junction be- 

 tween the side adit and central shaft, was found a heap of loose ashes 

 mingled with small fragments of calcined human bones, (Fig. 8, D). In 

 the heap were found also, several rudely fashioned flint arrow heads and 

 a pierced ornament of stone. These seemed to have been acted upon by 

 heat, as if some warrior, with his ornaments and weapons upon him, 

 had been incinerated and the remains carefully collected and depos- 

 ited where found. At a later day one or two other heaps of calcined 

 bones were found, all at about the same distance from the center of the 

 mound, (Fig. 8, E). The point to be determined is whether the whole of 

 the ash layers was not originally composed of burnt bones. In carrying 

 down the central shaft some fragments of human bones, much decayed, 

 were unearthed near the surface, marking the site of an intrusive 

 burial. Some scattered fragments of calcined bones were also found 

 which will be referred to farther on. At the depth of from three 

 and a half to four feet near the center of the mound a human skele- 

 ton was reached, lying on the back, the head toward the north, (Fig. 7). 

 It was firmly imbedded in the compact clay, and so great was the care 

 required in removing it that only the head and upper part of the 

 trunk was secured before night came. It will be proper to mention 

 that during this first day's work, the writer was assisted by Mr. John 

 B. Niles, of Urbana University, who also gave valuable aid during 

 the whole exploration. The following Monday the work commenced 



