10 IXTKODIJCTOKY. 



But the greater observed frequency of antiquities 

 east of the Mississippi river is to some extent due to 

 a less complete knowledge of the Tvestem territory. 

 A number of explorers have been at work in the eastern 

 territory for more than three quartei's of a century, 

 while comparatively few have jjaid any attention to 

 archteolog-ical explorations on the west slope of the 

 great central valley, and this for only the last few dec- 

 ades. This legion has onlv tardilv received the atten- 

 tiun it deserves. There can be no doubt that future 

 work will bring to light many more localities in the 

 west where prehistoric man has left traces of his exis- 

 tence. Some recently made discoveries give decided 

 promise that this will be the case. In the last few 

 years My. J. V. B rower has located some sixty hitherto 

 unknown sites of aboriginal villages in the eastern 

 part of the state of Kansas,* and others have re- 

 ported similar localities fi'om the region north of this 

 state. 



From such explorations in Kansas as are known to 

 the author oi this pai)er, it appears that the antiqui- 

 ties in this state are associated with two distinct types 

 of mounds: burial mounds and elevated dwelling sites. 

 Many of the latter, perhaps the gi-eater number, are 

 no mounds at all but merely the flat sur-face of the 

 ground whei'e the dwellings of an earlier race have once 

 been standing. These would never be noriced, were it 

 not for the relics of household art, chase, and warfai'e 

 seattei-ed about the place. But fi*equently there occur 



* Memoirs of Explorations iu the Basia of the Mississippi, Vol. II, Harahey, 

 by J. V. Brower, p. V., St. Paul, 1S«9. 



