CERTAIN SAND MOUNDS OF THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER, FLORIDA. 541 



One would look for more interments and for a greater supply of art relics in a 

 mound of this size where such care was shown as to construction. 



Low Mound near Helena, Lake County. 



In the grove of Messrs. Steiner Brothers, near Helena, was a mound which 

 years of cultivation had reduced to a height of less than 2 feet and whose diameter, 

 excluding later additions from above, was about 45 feet. We are indebted to Mr. 

 William Henry Bennett, superintendent of the grove, for permission to investigate. 

 The mound, which was entirely dug through at a level considerably below that 

 of the surrounding territory, was of yellowish sand, brownish at places, probably 

 through admixture of organic matter. 



The usual fire-places and fragments of charcoal in the sand, were observed. 



Interments and art relics were virtually confined to the northwest portion of 



the mound, continuing well in toward the center ; first, single burials, then almost 



a continuous layer. In all, fully thirty bodies were at least partially represented. 



Sherds were abundant, both plain and decorated, with red pigment and a few 



ornamented with punctate curves. No whole vessels were discovered. 



Numbers of flakes, chips and cores and imperfect and broken arrow heads lay 

 at all points throughout the mound. With one burial were minute remnants of an 

 ornament of thin sheet copper, while with another were small fragments of the metal 

 with two flat oblong bits of earthenware, about 1 inch by 1.3 inches each, with 

 rounded edges and central perforation, evidently cut from a broken vessel. These 

 had not been overlaid with the copper, but simply interred in association (Fig. 89.) 



With a single burial, not 

 far from the northwestern mar- 

 gin was a highly polished and 

 beautifully made pendent orna- 

 ment of a rock which we have 

 not identified through hesita- 

 tion to mutilate so beautiful 

 a specimen. In type it resem- 

 bles one from the mound at 

 Tavares, though in addition to 

 the median groove on one 

 side, it has incised line decor- 

 ation at the upper end while 

 the lateral perforation unites 

 with one from the top to allow 

 perfect perpendicularity of sus- 

 pension. Length, 3 inches ; 

 maximum diameter, about .4 

 of one inch (Fig. 90). 



Fig. 89. — Ornament of earthen- 

 ware. Low mound near 

 Helena. (Full size.) 



Fig. 90.— Pendent ornament, 

 mound near Helena. 



size.) 



Low 



(Full 



