1 88 The Ajnerican Naturalist. [March, 
mound at Floyd was due to the method of burial. This being 
evidenced by the fact that over a small portion of one of the 
bodies the earth had not been so thoroughly packed, and as a 
consequence the bones were almost entirely decomposed away, 
while the other portion of the body over which the soil had 
been very firmly packed was well preserved. Judging from all 
facts gathered, it seems not improbable to suppose that this 
represented a family burial. 
The question has been raised, " How was it that these five 
persons were all buried here at the same time, their bodies 
being still in the flesh?" As we have no reason to suppose 
that these ancient people possessed any means for preserving, 
for any length of time, in the flesh, the bodies of their dead; it 
seems plausible to suppose that these individuals were all 
swept off" at about the same time by some pestilence, or else, 
upon the death of some dignitary of the tribe or people (per- 
haps represented by the remains of the old man) the other 
members of the family were sacrificed, similar to the custom 
which has prevailed among some ancient tribes or races of his- 
toric times. 
On the same stream, a short distance below this mound, 
several other mounds occur which promise to yield interesting 
results, and which we purpose to explore as opportunity off"ers. 
— Clement L. Webster, Charles City, Iowa. 
MICROSCOPY.^ 
The Eggs of Petromyzon.'—i. Artificially fertilized 
eggs were treated with Flemming's fluid, containing a larger 
admixture of osmic acid than is prescribed in the original for- 
2. After 30 minutes the eggs were washed in distilled water, 
passed through 30% and ^0% alcohol (3 hours in each), and 
preserved in 90%. 
3. The eggs were cut in paraffine, the sections fixed to the 
slide with albumen, stained with safranine, and mounted in 
xylol balsam. 
1 Edited by C. O. Whitman, Director of the Lake Laboratory, Milwaukee. 
» A. A. Bohm, Arch.f. Mikr. Anat., xxxii. pp. 634-5. 
