Fie. 75.—Femur of 
bear, probably used 
as drum-stick. 
(Length 14.75 ins.) 
MOUNDVILLE REVISITED. 
The measurements are as follows: height, 4 inches; diameter 
with neck and tail, 13.75 inches; diameter of bowl, 9 inches. 
The material is a hard, white limestone which must have 
offered considerable resistance to the carver’s tool, though at 
present the surface of the vessel has deteriorated greatly through 
lapse of time, being soft and yellow in color. 
The vessel, which is intended to represent a bird, has the 
neck and head extended from the side of the bowl and running 
parallel with it to unite again with the bowl at the tip of the bill. 
The wings, feathers and claws of the bird are skilfully incised on 
the sides of the bowl and on part of the base. The tail projects 
almost at right angles. 
The bird here represented seems to be somewhat of a nonde- 
script. According to Mr. Witmer Stone of the Academy of 
Natural Sciences, judging from the crooked beak and the talons, 
a bird of prey is represented, having a somewhat unduly elon- 
gated neck to afford ample size for the handle. The wattle, pre- 
sumably, is an addition to please the fancy of the artist, though a 
somewhat similar wattle, but placed farther forward, is found on 
the king vulture (Gypagus papa), whose northernmost habitat, 
however, is southern Mexico. 
This vessel, when snow-white and intact, must have been 
indeed a striking example of aboriginal work and worthy of the 
ancient art of Moundville. 
Burials Numbers 58 and 59, in the ground south of Mound D, 
two skeletons of adolescents at full length on the back, side by side, 
one with a few pentagonal and hexagonal shell beads, had lying be- 
tween them, near the waists, a superb pipe of limestone, representing 
aneagle. This pipe, 4.6 inches in length, carved with great spirit, is 
a worth y exemplar of the prehistoric art of Moundville (Figs. 80, 81, 
82, 83, 84, 85, 86). The bird is represented on its back, the head 
swung around to one side with the beak open and tongue extended. 
— 
Fra. 76.—Bowl of limestone. (Maximum diameter 13.75 inches. ) 
