284 CERTAIN ABORIGINAL REMAINS, MOBILE BAY. 
in diameter, rather roughly made, the only artifact, with the exception of the bowl, 
that was found with human remains in this mound. 
About one hundred paces through the swamp in a SSE. direction from the 
mound just described, is a mound of irregular outline, with basal diameters of 121 
feet and 150 feet. Its height is 3.5 feet. Eighteen excavations made by us, each 
3 feet square at the opening, showed the mound to be mainly of the same material 
as its neighbor, though one excavation yielded shell alone. At one point a skeleton, 
lying at full length on its back, was found. 
In the Smithsonian Report for 1878! an account is given of the finding of an 
urn-burial in a shell deposit on Simpson island, but the exact location of the deposit 
is not specified. Two shell deposits on the southern part of this island were visited 
by us, one on Raft river, the other on Grand bay. These deposits seemed general 
over the surface, no defined heaps being noted. Тһе discovery of burials in such 
localities, where the area is too great for systematie investigation, must depend on 
chance alone. 
SHELL DEPOSIT AT BLAKELEY, BALDWIN COUNTY. 
Blakeley, a small settlement, is on the mainland opposite the junction of the 
Tensas and Apalachee rivers. 
About one-quarter mile in a southerly direction from Blakeley, bordering the 
water and extending back, is a shell deposit a number of acres in extent. The 
exact area of this deposit would be impossible to determine, much being covered by 
swamp-mud, fallen trees in the swamp holding quantities of shell among their 
upturned roots. The deposit, made up of small clam-shells (Rangra cuneata) with 
considerable admixture of loam, varies much in height, 6 to 7 feet probably being 
the maximum; but this is quite exceptional and is confined to several small areas. 
Considerable shell material has been hauled away, leaving human bones, here and 
there, upon the surface. 
Eleven excavations, each 3 feet square, and from 2 to 5 feet deep (which was 
about the height of that part of the deposit), were made by us by way of trial. In 
some, human bones were encountered ; in others, not. 
In one hole, not far from the surface, were parts of four skulls, and other scat- 
tered bones. At a depth of 16 inches was a circular deposit of fragments of 
cremated, human bones, 10 inches in diameter, 4 inches deep. No sign of fire 
marked the immediate vicinity of this deposit. Just above the bones lay a tool 
with a blunt point, made from an antler of a deer, showing no mark of fire. Thirty- 
two inches from the cremated remains, in the same hole, at about the same level, 
was а mass of fragments of calcined shell, including, however, a number of shells 
showing no trace of fire. No charcoal was present with this deposit. About 1 foot 
below a skeleton which lay near the cremated remains, was another skeleton, flexed 
on the left side. One hand resting on the neck was in contact with an ornament of 
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