26 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



stone, but yielding- no relics. The earth is in its natural condition 

 for a considerable distance around. Some pits within the circle 

 may be the work of explorers. This I examined July r8, 1902. 



The noted burial mound in Greene, Chenango county, was 40 

 feet in diameter and 6 feet high. Several hut rings have been 

 reported along the Chenango river, similar to those at Perch lake, 

 but those at Indian brook, a little south of Greene, prove to be 

 caches. 



Columbia and Schoharie counties both had the stone heaps to 

 which Indians added stones in passing. 



Erie county had its full share of mounds. One at the mouth of 

 Cattaraugus creek was used for burial, but was probably natural. 

 It was 50 feet across and from 10 to 15 feet high. The relics were 

 modern. 



There were several burial mounds on the east side of Cattaraugus 

 creek, two of which were excavated by Dr A. L. Benedict of Buffalo, 

 in 1900. As good accounts of such work by competent observers 

 are rare in New York, his plans are given in plate 11, and his report 

 is summarized from the American Antiquarian for 1901, p.99-107. 



Xo. 1, a truncated mound in an open field when I saw it, is a mile 

 north of the creek, and 600 feet north of the high bank of the ancient 

 valley. It is nearly circular and about 70 feet in diameter. The 

 central hight is 4 feet, 8 inches, but he thought it was originally 

 10 or 11 feet high. It was made of sand loam, and fhere were 

 depressions north and south in the general level of the field. It 

 had been disturbed. At A were animal bones, ashes and charcoal 

 at 3 feet, 5 inches from the surface ; also bones of the aboriginal 

 dog. At B was a heap of flat pieces of Hamilton slates, some of 

 them waterworn. A rib and sacrum under these he thought those 

 of the musk ox. At C was a fragmentary human skull, with other 

 human bones, at a depth of 3 feet. Near this were flint arrows and 

 knife, flint chips occurring elsewhere in the mound. Dr Benedict's 

 plans have the top to the south. 



No. 2 resembles the last and has been reduced by plowing. It is 

 quite near the creek, and a central shaft was sunk below the original 

 soil in 1875 by William C. Bryant of Buffalo. Gravel was found 



