428 CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS, CENTRAL FLORIDA W.-COAST. 



The western, or narrower part of the mound, which, however, included the highest 

 part, was entirely dug through by us to include 76 feet of the length of the base. 

 The remaining, or eastern portion of the mound, 47 feet in length along the base, 

 was dug through by us with the exception of the outer parts, in which neither 

 burials nor artifacts were found by trenching. The total area of our investigation 

 is shown in broken lines on the plan. The arm, or causeway (see plan) having been 

 dug by Mr. Walker, was not investigated by us. 



The mound, of sand, rested upon a foundation of clay on which, here and there, 

 were masses of lime-rock. Whether these masses were put in place by aborigines 

 at the making of the mound, we are unable to say, though it is our opinion they 

 were not, as an excavation made by us at some distance from the mound yielded 

 similar masses of rock. 



There were in the mound, locally, along the base, deposits of oyster-shells. 

 These deposits had no direct connection with the burials. 



Mr. Walker says, in speaking of this mound : " Excavations systematically 

 conducted revealed human remains in vast quantities in every part of the mound." 



Burials were numerous in places but were not present in others. Some of our 

 men dug through undisturbed sand during many hours without coming upon a sin- 

 gle bone. Mr. Walker says also, " The mode of burial was interment at full length, 

 with the heads directed toward a common center, the body reclining on its right 

 side ; I discovered three of these circles of bodies, each containing from seven to 

 fourteen adult skeletons." 



We met with nothing in the mound to indicate this method of burial, and we 

 may say, incidentally, we have not found it in several hundred mounds opened by 

 us in the southern United States. 



Human remains were found in the mound at sixty-two places. 



The skeletons in the mound lay as follows : 



Partly flexed on the right side, 

 Partly flexed on the left side. 

 Closely flexed on the right side, 

 Closely flexed on the left side. 

 Full length on back. 



5 



6 



13 



7 



9, 



The heads of the skeletons pointed as follows : E., 4 ; E. by S., 1 ; ESE., 3 . 

 SE., 3 ; SSE., 3; S., 1 ; WSW., 3 ; W., 1 ; W. by N., 1 ; WNW., 1; NW., 1 ; NE., 2 ; 

 ENE., 5; E. by N., 4. 



The upper half of a skeleton, perhaps an aboriginal disturbance, had the cra- 

 nium directed toward the south. 



It was noted as an invariable rule in this mound that the skeletons lay on the 

 base, while the lone skulls, of Avhich there were seven, and the bunched burials, 

 of which eighteen were met with, were considerably higher in the mound. 



