302 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences , Arts and Letters. 
the application of this system. We find ourselves on the borders of an 
unknown realm, so much lies beyond us that we feel that we have 
hardly passed the rudiments, still we are sure so far as we have gone. 
It is possible that the effigies are myth bearers as well as totems, and 
that we shall need to know the myths before we can fully explain the 
figures. Picture writing may, also, have been practiced in the effigies, 
for there are groups of mounds in which the animal figures are so re¬ 
lated to one another that it would seem as if there was a pictograph on 
a large scale,—these, however, are few and perhaps we shall be able to 
explain them in some other way. There may be other escoteric systems 
and various sacred mysteries embodied in the effigies. Possibly a trans¬ 
mitted symbolism will yet be discovered. To illustrate: There is a fig¬ 
ure of an owl, with its projections above the head, making it resemble 
the horned owl. The eyes of the owl were not in the head but were un¬ 
der the wings and were composed of two small circular ponds of water. 
(See fig 1.) This effigy is found near Merrit’s Landing. The whole fig¬ 
ure taken together makes a symbol which is very common in America. 
The symbol consists of the eyes and nose of the divinity, and is found 
in Mexico and Central America as well as in the mound-builders region. 
The same symbol was found by Schlieman, in Troy. 
# Fig. 1.—Homed Owl near Merrit’s Landing. 
III. Location of the clans. In the book on the emblematic mounds, 
we stated that there were various clans whose habitat could be easily 
bounded; within that habitat all the processes of clan life could be 
recognized in the effigies. We stated that the turtle clan was located on 
the Rock river and extended from Lake Koshkonong above Janesville, 
through Beloit and Rockford to the mouth of the Kishwaukee river; 
possibly Lake Geneva should be embraced within the bounds of this 
clan. We located, also, the panther clan on the Fox river, made it to 
extend from Milwaukee to Racine to the state line, and embrace the 
