12 Bulletin of Wisconsin Natural History Society. Vol. 1, No. 1. 
age width of I2 feet across the tail and 2i feet across the body, 
with a general direction of N. 44 deg. 26 min. W. 
It is noticeable that all the effigies in this group have their 
heads directed to the southeast. We do not know what the direc- 
tion given meant. It may have been a mere whim on the part of 
the builders or purely accidental ; it may have been a sign for other 
members of the same tribe arriving at the place later, of the direc- 
tion in which their kin had proceeded ; possibly the different poses 
of the effigies had a meaning known only to the initiated and in 
this case the key to the picture ciphering will probably never be 
known. Certain it is that there are very marked variations in the 
attitudes of the heads and the relative positions of the legs of 
dift'erent specimens of the same species, for instance the so-called 
panther or lizard. 
The learned and indefatigable archaeologist, Dr. S. D. Peet, as- 
serts apodictically that our lamented Dr. Increase Allen Lapham 
was mistaken in calling the effigy that occurs most frequently in 
this region "lizard." With all due deference to the authority of 
Dr. Peet, who says it represents a "panther," attention is directed 
to some matters that may throw light on this question. The 
effigies in question present a striking resemblance in their pro- 
portions to a lizard. The tail is several times as long as the body 
from head to hind leg; moreover, the tail is like a lizard's, being 
broad near the leg and gradually tapering to the tip, while the tail 
of a panther (puma) is comparatively thin, nearly of equal thick- 
ness throughout, like a cat's, and is less than tw^o-thirds as long as 
the body from head to hind leg. One of the Teller effigies carries 
its head and neck erect, precisely as a lizard does every time it 
stops after a run, to assume an attitude of attention and observa- 
tion. While the mound builders may be supposed to have consid- 
ered the fleet, agile, strong and blood-thirsty panther, their com- 
petitor in the hunt and the enemy of their game worthy of deifica- 
tion, it must not be overlooked that lizards, owing to their bright 
eyes, their spefed, their mysterious action in appearing and disap- 
pearing like unto a *'deus ex machina," and in some cases their 
rapid mutations of color, were regarded with superstitious awe by 
most peoples of all ages, whether savages, or more or less civilized, 
and they play an important role in folklore even at the present day. 
Nor should it be forgotten that Dr. Lapham was a calm and keen 
observer; and while no claim of infallibility of judgment is made 
for him here, we cannot set aside his opinion without conclusive 
proofs. 
On the morning of the 25th of J^ine, 1899, members and 
friends .of the Wisconsin National Historv Society assembled at 
the mound field on the groufids of the Milwaukee Cement Com- 
