Mound- Builders. 83 



miles in length, and those running towards the east are 

 each about one mile in length. 



About a mile east, where the middle line of parallel walls 

 terminates, is a square containing twenty acres, within and 

 around the walls of which are disposed seven mounds. To 

 the north-east of this is an elliptical work of large dimen- 

 sions. On the south-east is a circle, in the centre of which 

 is the form of a bird with wings expanded. The body is 155 

 feet, the length of each wing 110 feet, and the head of the 

 bird is towards the opening. When this structure was 

 opened, there was found an altar, proving that, in this circu- 

 lar place, this ancient people must have assembled for 

 worship. 



There is a place three miles north of Chillicothe, where 

 r an extensive enclosure — now called "Mound City" — con- 

 tains 26 well formed and regularly disposed mounds, cover- 

 ing an area of 13 acres. Many of those mounds contained 

 altars at their base, but have been subsequently converted 

 into ordinary mounds. One mound, which is 90 feet in 

 diameter at the base and 7§- feet in height, contained an 

 altar, within the basin of which was found a layer of 

 solid ashes three inches thick, in which were numerous 

 pieces of pottery and shell-beads. On the top of the altar 

 was a layer of sand, then gravel for two feet, then a thin 

 layer of sand, then one foot of gravel. 



Buried three feet below the apex of the mound, were 

 found two well developed and highly preserved skeletons, 

 which, however, were not those of Mound-builders, but 

 rather of the Indians who were buried there long after the 

 mounds were abandoned. One altar was covered by a layer 

 of opaque mica, which must have been brought from a great 

 distance. In the centre of the basin was found, besides 

 numerous other relics, a large heap of burned human bones, 

 which would indicate it an altar of human sacrifice. From 

 other evidences, we may safely conclude that they were Sun 

 or Fire-worshippers. As to the cause of these altars being 

 afterwards changed into common mounds, it is difficult to 

 determine. Many such mounds are found, which for a long 

 time were used for purposes of sacrifice, and then covered 



