THE ST. .JOHN'S RIVER, FLORIDA. 



98 



Next a considerable portion of the surface of the ground was carefully gone 

 over with trowels, laying bare great numbers of split, broken and shattered human 

 bones, with fragments of pottery. With disconnected human remains was found a 

 handsome carved circular gorget of shell, with a diameter of 4-25 inches 

 (Fig. 110). 



Fig. lit). Shell gorget (full size). 



It consisted of a cross in the centre surrounded by a circle within an eight 

 pointed star, the star surrounded by a circle scalloped at the edges. In the centre 

 of the gorget was a perforation, while near the margin of the outer circle were two 

 others, evidently for suspension. This beautiful ornament, unique for Florida, 1 or 

 at all events for the river, was slightly broken during the digging, while certain 

 portions were wanting through earlier breakage. 



(iorgets of shell, with circles, stars and half moons were worn in historical 



1 In this connection the reader is referred to "Art in Shell," Second Annual Report of the Bureau 

 of Ethnology, 1 880-1 881, page 185, et seq. 



Mr. Andrew JE. Douglass, whose familiarity with the antiquities of Florida and long continued 

 personal researches among the mounds of the east coast lend great weight to his opinion, writes as follows : 



" I have quite a number of shell gorgets, but not one from Florida, nor have I seen any from that 

 State in any collection. Still this is but negative evidence as to their existence as I have not seen so large 

 a number in collections, though so far as they have been ligured by Holmes and others I have no recollec- 

 tion of any attributed to that State. Your find, therefore, appears to be quite unique. Indeed, I remem- 

 ber exhuming but one gorget (and that of slate) from any of the mounds I have explored in that State." 

 12 JOUR. A. N. S. PHILA.. VOL. X. 



