1893.] Shell Heaps of Florida. 615 
ORANGE MOUND (ORANGE COUNTY). 
This interesting mound is reached by turning to the west 
from the river into a lagoon, and continuing about 500 yards 
after leaving the channel. In a straight line it is ten miles 
south of Lake Harney, but so devious is the river that three 
times that number probably would not be an overestimate of 
the distance by boat, by which means alone can access to the 
mound be had. Le Baron (Smithsonian Report, 1882, page 
102) refers to Orange Mound. He made no investigations and 
puts the height at forty feet; probably a misprint for fourteen, 
its maximum altitude. His other dimensions are likewise 
faulty. 
The mound, crescentie in shape, lies north and south. Its 
length, following the ridge of the crescent, is 560 feet ; its maxi- 
mum width 260 feet. It slopes on every side toward the water 
and offers usually a secure retreat for numerous large hard- 
shell turtles which visit it to deposit their eggs. By cutting 
off their escape to the water, the crew of the writer’s boat in 
one morning secured five, and doubtless the aborigines in the 
same manner obtained this staple article of diet. 
The mound has been under cultivation for the growth of 
cane, and a tumble-down shed, where once an old caldron 
stood, is very picturesque, shadowed by towering palmettoes 
and flanked by a tropical growth of bananas. 
Surface pottery is abundant, both plain and stamped in 
squares. It is of fairly good quality and probably has no 
connection with the builders of the shell heap. Orange 
Mound was visited by the writer a number of times during 
the winter of 1891 and photographs secured; but February 7; 
8, 9, 1892 and two days of the winter of 1893 were devoted to 
Serious excavations. * ; 
Excavation I. 
About the center of the mound at its highest point, 123 ft. 
` by 8 ft. by 15 ft. deep, converging. The first foot was through 
-a layer of loam filled with pottery of the variety seen on the 
Surface. At a depth of one foot was found a shell chisel, 
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