CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS, COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 163 



contained the only human remains met with by us. These consisted of four separate 

 deposits of calcined fragments of human remains, each deposit representing the 

 skeletons of several individuals. These deposits were closely associated ; .one lay 

 at the center of the bottom of the pit, about 7 feet down ; two, in the shell farther 

 into the mound, 7.5 feet down ; and one lay below these in the basal layer of sand, 

 8 feet 8 inches down. With one deposit were : shell beads, none over .5 of an inch 

 in diameter; a perforated Cardium ; a number of small marine univalves (Margi- 

 nelld) ; one chert knife ; one entire tooth of a fossil shark ; two parts of fossil 

 sharks' teeth, probably used for piercing purposes ; a piercing implement of bone ; 

 a tooth of a large carnivore ; a lot of small pebbles, probably from a rattle ; twelve 

 cockle-shells {Area incongriid) perforated for suspension ; twelve marine shells (Oliva 

 literatd) pierced longitudinally for stringing ; a pebble about one inch in diameter. 

 With another deposit were small shell beads. Loose in the sand was a fossil shark's 

 tooth and throughout the mound were earthenware discs of the type which we have 

 already mentioned. Certain sherds present in the mound bore the complicated 

 stamp. 



Dark sand and clay_ 



" "" '"< 7TT'°Wt ;vr ~~~""~~ " " " . 



Fig. 8. — Cross-section through center of smaller mound. Little island, S. C 



Mounds near Button Hill, Port Royal Island, Beaufort County (4). 



The settlement known as Button hill lies about three miles west of Beaufort. 

 On the place of Mr. N. Christianson was a mound greatly lowered and spread out by 

 cultivation. Its height was 1.5 feet; its diameter of base, 42 by 52 feet, Treasure 

 seekers had dug considerably into marginal portions. The mound was trenched and 

 the central part dug out by us without result. 



A few yards distant was a somewhat smaller mound equally devoid of interest. 



In a cultivated field about three-quarters of a mile south-by-west from the 

 Christianson place, was a mound partly owned by Mr. Fred Carter and partly by ' 

 Mr. James White, both colored. What the plough had spared of this mound was 

 2 feet 9 inches in height. The apparent diameter was 58 feet, but much material 

 had been worked down from central portions. The southern half of the mound 

 was worked through and the central portions were dug out. The mound was com- 

 posed of yellow sand with the usual fire-places. A few loose sherds, plain and cord- 

 marked, were met with. Four deposits of calcined and unburnt bones mixed, were 

 found, the farthest from the center being at a distance of 13 feet. With one deposit 

 was a small streak of hematite. Loose in the sand was a bird-arrow of chert. 



About 300 yards southwest from the preceding mound, in a cultivated field, 



