4U CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS, CENTRAL FLORIDA W.-COAST. 



Two of these burials had above them a skull, and a skull with a femur, respec- 

 tively, aboriginal disturbances. 



There was also in the mound a burial, presumably intrusive, as it was but 2 

 feet below the surface and w^as in a better condition than the other burials, although 

 they, owing to the infiltration of lime-salts, were in a state of preservation much 

 superior to that usually met with. 



Nineteen skulls were saved from this mound, none showing cranial flattening. 

 Three of these, showing marked pathological changes, were sent to the United States 

 Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. ; four are now in our Academj' of Natu- 

 ral Sciences (Catalogue numbers 2206 to 2209, inclusive) ; nine probably will be 

 added to the collection, later. Three of the nineteen skulls subsequently fell into 

 fragments. 



In the count of burials found by us, bones scattered by former diggers are not 

 noted. In addition, we may have passed over certain burials in graves, if any lay 

 beneath trenches put in by former diggers. 



This mound, in a negative way, is about the most remarkable one in our expe- 

 rience for, in the parts dug down by us, not a single fragment of pottery was met 

 with, nor was any artifact of any sort discovered, with the exception of part of a 

 small implement, probably of coralline lime-stone. Neither was there in the 

 mound, according to the reports of our diggers, over whom was close supervision, in 

 addition, any unworked pebble, conch-shell, or fragment of chert. In a word, prac- 

 tically nothing imperishable had been placed -with the dead, if we except powdered 

 hematite, in several instances. 



Mound near Clearwater, Hillsboro County. 



The mound, in sight from St. Joseph sound, and but a few feet from the N. end 

 of the bridge across Steven's creek, about 2 miles in a N. direction from Clearwater, 

 is 75 feet across the base and 5 feet in height. Fifteen excavations in various parts 

 of the mound strongly suggested a domiciliary character for the mound. 



Mound near John's Pass, Hillsboro County. 



This mound, described by Mr. S. T. Walker {op. ci'L, page 401 ei scq.) lay near 

 the SE. end of a nameless key which, extending east and west, lies just inside of 

 John's Pass. The mound, on a low ridge, a portion of which had been dug into to 

 make it, had sustained considerable investis:ation before our visit, when it was com- 

 pletely demolished. The diameter of the circular base was about 35 feet; the 

 height, 2 feet 4 inches. The mound was composed of sand and of broken shells, 

 not shell-heap material, but fragments of shells, washed up by the sea. 



Although, as we have said, there had been much previous digging, a large per- 

 centage of the area of the mound was intact and afforded a good idea of what the 

 mound and its contents had been. Burials extended more than one foot below the 

 base, into broken shell material of the kind we have described, mixed with a little 

 sand. In addition to disturbances by comparatively recent diggers, we noted six 



