328 The American Naturalist. [April, 
above; and also samples of the water from the hole. These 
were placed in thoroughly clean jars brought for the purpose. 
The first thing to be noted is the fact that the boards that 
covered the coffin, as well as the coffin itself, were in a perfect 
state of preservation—not a sign of decay was to be found. ` 
They looked like newly-planed boards that had been exposed 
to the weather for about six months; just long enough to par- 
tially color the wood gray. The nails in the coffin had all 
rusted away. 
On opening the coffin, the body of the Negro woman was 
found to be in a remarkably good state of preservation. Of 
course it was saturated with water, but, nevertheless, it was 
firm like hard cheese, so that the workmen pronounced it pet- 
rified when they touched it, and found it would not give or 
bend. In general, the body at first glance has very much the 
appearance of sheet asbestos, being dirty-white in color, with 
a certain grain in places, due to the connective tissue in the fat 
where the skin is wanting. The abdomen and to a certain 
extent the thorax is swollen and bloated, so that part of the 
abdomen pressed tight against the top of the coffin, thus show- 
ing that decomposition had started when the body was first 
buried, and had continued for a short time. It is to be noted 
that no part of the body was decomposing when found, and it 
has shown no signs of doing so since; neither does it smell— 
all decomposition that had taken place was now checked. The 
head is not well preserved, part of the cranium having been 
decomposed, and other parts partially so, and more or less sep- 
arated. All the hair, with part of the scalp is, however, well- 
preserved, while the face had been partially decomposed. One 
wrist and both ankles had been badly decomposed, and part of 
the feet and one hand slightly decayed. Some of the toe and 
finger-nails were perfect, others partially or wholly decayed, 
The rest of the body is practically intact and well-preserved, 
except that in places the skin is wanting; but this does not 
make itself apparent to the ordinary observer. 
With a scalpel I cut through the ventral abdominal wall 
from right to left, and then cephalad at the two ends. The 
body at this place cuts very much like dense cheese. The cut 
