remains of eight human skeletons, two very large teeth of an unknown animal, two fossils, one of which is not found in this place, and a plummet.  One of the long bones had been splintered; the fragments had united, but there remained large morbid growths of bone (exostosis) in several places.  One of the skulls presented a circular opening about the size of a silver dime.  This perforation had been made during life, for the edges had commenced to cicatrize.  I later examined three circular mounds, but in them I found no dolmens.  The first mound contained three adult human skeletons, a few fragments of the skeleton of a child, the lower maxillary of which indicated it to be about six years old.  I also found claws of some carnivorous animal.  The surface of the soil had been scooped out and the bodies laid in the excavation and covered with about a foot of earth; fires had then been made upon the grave and the mound afterwards completed.  The bones had not been charred.  No charcoal was found among the bones, but occurred in abundance in a stratum about one foot above them.  Two other mounds, examined at the same time, contain no remains.

Of two other mounds, opened later, the first was circular, about 4 feet high, and 15 feet in diameter at the base, and was situated on an elevated point of land close to the bank of the river.  From the top of this mound one might view the country for many miles in almost any direction.  On its summit was an oval altar 6 feet long and 4 1/2 wide.  It was composed of flat pieces of limestone, which had been burned red, some portions having been almost converted into lime.  On and about this altar I found abundance of charcoal.  At the sides of the altar were fragments of human bones, some of which had been charred.  It was covered by a natural growth of vegetable mold and sod, the thickness of which was about 10 inches.  Large trees had once grown in this vegetable mold, but their stumps were so decayed I could not tell with certainty; to what species they belonged.  Another large mound was opened which contained nothing.

The next account relates to the grave-mounds near Pensacola, Fla., and was originally published by Dr. George M. Sternberg, surgeon United States Army:[21]

Before visiting the mound I was informed that the Indians were buried in it in an upright position, each one with a clay pot on his head.  This idea was based upon some superficial explorations which had been made from time to time by curiosity hunters.  Their excavations had, indeed, brought to light pots containing fragments of skulls, but not buried in the position they imagined.  Very extensive explorations, made at different times by myself, have shown that only fragments of skulls and of the long bones of the body are to be found in the mound, and that these are commonly associated with earthen pots, sometimes whole, but more frequently broken fragments only.  In some instances portions of the skull were placed