468 CERTAIN RIVER MOUNDS OF DUYAL COUNTY, FLORIDA. 



With undisturbed interments were no objects save those of purely aboriginal 

 origin, though, as we have stated, and as might be expected in ground beneath a 

 site used for residence in recent times and most probably during the English and 

 Spanish occupation, at various points superficially were a number of objects found 

 in use among the Whites. Under these circumstances there would seem to be no 

 reason to assign to the burials beneath the summit plateau of the Shields mound 

 a period other than one antedating the coming of Europeans. 



Gilbert Mound. 



The Gilbert mound stood in the pine woods, in full view of the road, about 

 one-quarter of a mile southeast of the Shields mound. Its outline was that of an 

 egg, its greatest height 4 feet 9 inches, being at the broadest portion from where it 

 sloped gradually to the level of the surrounding territory. It was 86 feet in length, 

 its maximum lateral diameter being 53 feet. 



It was completely demolished, with the cordial consent of the owner, Mr. W. 

 A. Gilbert, of Jacksonville, Florida. 



The mound, unstratified, was composed of yellowish sand with occasional 

 pockets of red sand in connection with some of the deposits of relics. 



Human remains were encountered at various depths, superficially, in the body 

 of the mound and below the level of the surrounding territory. In all, human 

 remains were noted at twenty-seven points in the mound, though it is possible that 

 a trench dug by a former investigator may have removed a certain number in 

 addition. In no case did interments noted by us, which were of the bunched 

 variety, include the entire skeleton. In a number of cases isolated crania were 

 found and once, two skulls associated with no other bones. Again, the cranium 

 was accompanied by the shaft of a long bone, while in one instance nothing was 

 found but a portion of a tibia, curiously enough accompanied by art relics. 



Virtually no sherds lay scattered loose throughout the sand, though numbers 

 of fragments of vessels were found, usually with human remains. When put 

 together, these fragments did not represent complete vessels. They belonged to 

 vessels of ordinary type, of small or medium size and undecorated. In no case was 

 stamped pottery met with, neither the stamped decoration of squares and diamonds 

 so frequently found on the sherds of the two great neighboring mounds nor the 

 complicated stamp of various intricate patterns so plentiful in the low mounds in 

 the immediate vicinity. 



Five and one-half feet below the surface, with an isolated cranium, was a 

 globular bowl with inverted rim surrounded by an interesting raised decoration. 

 The base is without perforation. Its height is 4.5 inches; its maximum diameter 

 6.4 inches; diameter of orifice, 2.8 inches (Plate LXXI, Fig. 1). 



About two feet from the surface, associated with human remains, were two 

 graceful vessels entirely intact. The larger (Plate LXXI, Fig. 2) of less than one 



