THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER, FLORIDA. 19 



16 feet; the circumference is 555 feet. It is composed of the yellow sand of the 

 surrounding fields, with pockets and local layers of white sand along and above 

 the base. Wherever exposed, the sand at the bottom of the mound was found 

 mingled with pieces of charcoal. Beginning at the margin of the base, a layer of 

 sand colored by admixture of powdered hematite, covered the entire mound. 

 This layer attained a maximum thickness of 7 feet on the northeastern portion of 

 the summit plateau and adjacent slope. The general tint of the layer was what is 

 called crushed strawberry by dealers in ribbons, though at many points, and espe- 

 cially in the vicinity of relics, the sand in considerable quantity was dyed a brick- 

 red, even reaching what is termed Indian red by vendors of colors. At times 

 streaks and local layers of highly colored sand throughout the entire mound led to 

 implements, pottery, etc., and while the discovery of objects in the yellow sand 

 was not uncommon, still in the majority of cases they lay in contact with that 

 having an artificial color. Realizing this fact, the 21 colored men in our employ 

 worked with their hands alone in the presence of sand tinted with the red oxide, 

 and it is doubtless owing to this that but two objects in pottery were broken by 

 the spade during the seventeen days comprising our excavation. 



The use of hematite in this connection in mounds has been noted by us upon but 

 three other occasions : at Dunn's Creek ; at Duval's, near Blue Creek, Lake 

 Co. ; and in the case of the mound a mile due west of Duval's in the piny woods. 

 At Dunn's Creek, it will be remembered, an outer layer of light pink sand was 

 found; at Duval's, as we shall see, a layer of pink lay between strata of white 

 sand, while in the other mound pockets of red sand alone were found, these 

 pockets always marking the presence of deposits. Mr. Andrew E. Douglass 

 noticed a similar use of hematite on the east coast of Florida ; while strangely 

 enough a similar custom prevailed among early races in Europe. In the caves of 

 Mentone, Dr. Riviere repeatedly found objects tinted by contact with the red 

 oxide ; l while Dr. Verneau found a layer of earth in which bodies had been 

 deposited, 2 artificially colored by the use of iron ore. 



It is a fact worthy of remark that while an artificial shell deposit of consider- 

 able depth borders the water's edge in sight of Mt. Royal not a single Paludina, 

 Ampullaria or Unto was met with in the mound. 



EXCAVATIONS. 



In the southern portion of the mound, 12 feet from the margin of the base, a 

 trench following the base 89 feet in length, was dug. Its breadth at the beginning 

 was 12 feet, widening after a few feet to 30 feet, again decreasing to 25 feet, the 

 last 26 feet having a breadth of from 37 feet to 40 feet. Owing to the unstable 

 nature of the sand, a considerable convergence to the sides was requisite, so that 



J De l'Antiquite de l'Homme dans les Alpes-Maritimes, page 176. 



2 "Nouvelle Decouverte de Squelettes Prehistoriques aux Baousse-Rousse, pivs deMenton," l'Anthropol- 

 ogie, tome troisieme. page 526. 



