308 CERTAIN ABORIGINAL REMAINS OF THE ALABAMA RIVER. 



Inhumation of artifacts with unenclosed dead was met with but once at 

 Durand's Bend. Two feet from the surface, extended on its back, was the 

 skeleton of a delicately formed man or of a woman. The bones of the feet were 

 missing, except one heel bone which lay against the pelvis. Near the hand and 

 forearm were eight tines cut from stag horn. They were neither grooved nor per- 

 forated, but, nevertheless, doubtless formed part of a wristlet and were attached 

 together by a partial insertion through some material 



Near the chest of the skeleton were a number of small imperforate shell discs, 

 and across the chest, near the chin, was a so-called "hoe-shaped implement" of 

 volcanic rock, 5.5 inches in length, and 4.5 inches in maximum breadth across the 

 blade. As usual with these "implements" it had a countersunk perforation in the 

 shank. 



Objects of this type are by no means common. In all our mound work w T e had 

 met with them but twice before, one in a mound near Blue Creek, Lake county, 

 Florida; another in a mound near Lake Bluff, on the Altamaha river, Georgia. 

 Later, the reader may see that this type was fairly abundant in mounds near 

 Montgomery, where several imperforate specimens were found, as well as certain 

 ones having perforations and one with a perforation begun, but not completed. It 

 may be as well to say here, since we are on the subject of the " hoe-shaped imple- 

 ment," that we do not believe it to have been used as a hoe. All specimens found 

 by us and those found by others, which we have examined, have the edge finely 

 ground and without notch or chipping, which would not be the case had they seen 

 service as hoes. Besides, farther up the Alabama river we found part of a so-called 

 " hoe-shaped implement" made from the soft blue clay found along the banks of the 

 Alabama. Such an object could never have been intended for active use. Farther- 

 more, the shanks of several of the implements found by us show by a discoloration 

 where there has been a handle, allowing a portion of the shank to project behind. 

 The perforation comes along the margin and was doubtless used, where it was 

 present, to lash the handle more firmly. We are convinced that the " hoe-shaped 

 implement" was a ceremonial axe. 



No fractures, and in one case only, an osteitis, was a pathological condition 

 present in the bones. The skeletons showed less muscular markings than we have 

 met with in other sections. 



A considerable number of urn-burials were met with by us at Durand's Bend, 

 consisting usually of a vessel holding the remains, capped by another, inverted, to 

 keep out the earth. As a rule, the up-turned base of the upper vessel was about 6 

 inches from the surface, though doubtless before. the freshet swept across the bend, 

 the depth was considerably greater. 



But the mortuary vessels, so far as noted, are made of a mixture of clay 

 and pounded shells. In shape and decoration they present no marked variety, but 

 for that matter, at the present day, we can hardly boast of a great diversity of type 

 in mortuary receptacles. The under vessel was usually of the type found by us at 

 Matthews' Landing, with the same undecorated body and often with similar perpen- 



