
+ 
770 The American Naturalist. [August, 
Near these mines ancient reservoirs for the storage of water are 
found in the ‘‘ gulches.’’ The water doubtless was used in mining. 
In some sheltered places in the valleys and canons can still be plainly 
seen old cornrows and sakeys (irrigating ditches). 
On the east, west, and middle branches of the Gila River, in the 
Mogollon Mountains, is to be found as rough, wild, and broken a tract 
as is to be discovered in any part of the great Rocky Mountain region. 
Here in the rugged cliffs are found great numbers of ancient cliff- 
dwellings, some of which are unsurpassed in interest. 
Considerable time was devoted to the study of these dwellings, mak- 
ing explorations in, and plans and sketches of, them, as well as draw- 
ings of many of the more interesting and extensive hieroglyphics 
painted on the rocks by the former inhabitants of these dwellings. 
One of these ancient cliff-dweller’s pueblos (if I may so term it), situ- 
ated in a lofty cliff which forms the side of a deep, narrow cafion that 
extends out from the west branch of the Gila, is of special interest in 
many ways. This cliff-dwellers’ village is in a fine state-of preservation, 
and consists of upwards of twenty-eight rooms. 
Several days were spent in making explorations in these dwellings. 
Large quantities of valuable relics were found in the débris of the rooms. 
Among the relics obtained were specimens of several kinds of cloth, 
all made from the fibre of the Spanish dagger, matting of bear-grass, 
willow-work, sandals, cords of various sizes, feather-work, a ball and 
large skein of twine of the same material as the cloth, human and ani- 
mal bones, stone utensils, great quantities of corn-cobs, corn, squash 
or pumpkin rinds, seeds, and stems, corn-husks, beans, gourds, pottery, 
braided human hair of a brown color, etc. ; and last, but by no means 
least, a perfectly preserved cliff-dweller mummy. This was a mummy 
of asmall child, with soft brown hair, similar to that found braided, 
only finer. It was closely wrapped in a considerable amount of two 
varieties of coarse cloth, woven from the fiber of the Spanish dagger, 
then wrapped in a large, nicely woven mat of bear-grass, and tied on 
by cords of the same material as the cloth to a small, curiously 
shaped board of cottonwood. The position relative to the relics 
found, together with much other evidence, Aemonstyate conclusively 
that this is a mummy of a true ‘ Cliff-dweller 
So far as I am aware, this is the only sueciionn of its kind ever dis- 
covered; and as to the value of the relic and discovery every archeolo- 
gist can judge. 
In the near future I propose to publish a detailed account of the 
results of my archeological researches in this strange country. —CLEM- 
ENT L. WEBSTER. 



