CERTAIN MOUNDS ОЕ ARKANSAS AND OF MISSISSIPPI. 591 
with remnants of causeways on the E. and N., is now almost devoid of vegeta- 
tion; and trampled by animals and with the soil of the summit plateau loosened 
by cultivation and offering full scope to wash of rains, which have eaten narrow 
channels! into the sides of the mound, has lost much of the symmetry it possessed 
until recently, and soon, we fear, will be still farther impaired. 
The height of this mound is 55 feet, as taken by us from near the base. We 
were informed, however, that a surveyor, standing at some distance from the 
mound, had determined its height to be more than 60 feet. 
It seemed to us, however, that the standpoint of the surveyor, as pointed out 
to us, was somewhat below the general level, a pool of water being there at the 
time of our visit. Perhaps a fair judgment of the height of the mound would be 
midway between the figures given by the surveyor and our own, as possibly we 
stood somewhat on the slope when our determination was made. 
The western part of the summit plateau, 57 feet in length, is about 9 feet 
lower than the eastern 42 feet—the total diameter of the plateau E. and W. being 
99 feet. In a N. and S. direction the diameter is 93 feet. i 
The basal diameters of the mound are 263 feet E. and W., and 275 feet N. and 
S. Doubtless the mound, at one time, was practically square in horizontal section. 
The mound to which we have referred as southwesterly from the great mound 
is a truncated cone 22 feet in height, about 173 feet in diameter of base and 86 
feet across its summit plateau. The remains of a causeway are apparent on the 
northern side. 
Strewn over the enclosed area, among the mounds and on them, in some places 
in great abundance, are chert pebbles; fragments of chert; bits of musselshell ; 
and small parts of earthenware vessels. 
The ware, as a rule undecorated, is shell-tempered in most instances but some- 
times has a tempering of small fragments of stone which does not react to acid, 
such as is often found in the ware of the Yazoo—Sunflower region. 
The decoration, when present, so far as noted by us, offers no original feature. 
Mr. J. B. Martin, manager of the plantation, to whom we are indebted for much 
information as to the place, showed us a small water-bottle of excellent, yellow, 
shell-tempered ware, with a graceful decoration consisting of a current scroll and 
small circle, four times repeated, boldly executed with a broad, trailing-point. 
This vessel, Mr. Martin said, had been found in digging a post-hole on the property. 
"There were found on the surface by members of our party, several small, 
delicately-shaped arrowheads of chert; part of a diminutive chisel apparently of 
silicified wood; a ball of chert, from 2.75 inches to 3.5 inches in diameter. This 
ball, which has depressions on two opposite sides as for fingers, perhaps served as a 
hammer-stone. We read, however, in the Narrative of d'Iberville? of “а round 
stone ball which they strike with sticks" for amusement. 
1 One at least reaching a depth of 5 feet. 
2 French, Hist. Coll. La. and Fla., 1875, p. 74. 
