Illustrated Catalogue of a Portion of the Collections Made During the Field Season of 1881Third Ann | Page 8

of the interment of the bodies. One was
associated with the upper and the other with the lower layer of bones.
In size and shape they resemble our ordinary brass toilet pin. The head
is formed of a spiral coil of wire, the diameter of which is about
one-half that of the shaft of the pin. It is also stated by the collector that
an iron bolt was found in the lower stratum of bones. This object was
unfortunately lost.

62795. A small brass cylinder, found 3 feet 7 inches below the surface
of the mound. The thin sheet of which the coil is made is about 1 inch
square. The edges are uneven. It was probably used as a bead.
OBJECTS OF SHELL.
Few mounds have rivaled this in its wealth of shell ornaments.
Engraved gorgets cut from the body of the Busycon perversum and
large pins from the columellæ of the same shell are especially
numerous and well-preserved. Large numbers of beads and unworked
shells were also found. All were intimately associated with the
skeletons.
While many of the specimens are well-preserved, we find that many are
in an advanced stage of decay, and unless most carefully handled,
crumble to powder.
Similar shell ornaments are found in mounds in other parts of
Tennessee, as well as in neighboring States. These have been pretty
fully described in the Second Annual Report.
62830-62839. These pins are all made from the Busycon perversum.
The entire specimens range from 3 to 6 inches in length; two are
fragmentary, having lost their points by decay. The heads are from
one-half to 1 inch in length, and are generally less than 1 inch in
diameter. They are somewhat varied in shape, some being cylindrical,
others being conical above. The shaft is pretty evenly rounded, but is
seldom symmetrical or straight. It is rarely above one-half an inch in
diameter, and tapers gradually to a more or less rounded point. The
groove of the canal shows distinctly in all the heads, and may often be
traced far down the shaft. In a number of cases the surface retains the
fine polish of the newly finished object, but it is usually somewhat
weathered, and frequently discolored or chalky. These specimens were
found in the mounds along with deposits of human remains, and
generally in close proximity to the head; this fact suggests their use as
ornaments for the hair.
62840-62843. A number of saucer-shaped shell gorgets, the upper edge

being somewhat straightened, the result of the natural limit of the body
of the shell. Two small holes, for suspension occur near the upper
margin. The diameter ranges from 3 to 6 inches.
[Illustration: Fig. 119. 62831]
[Illustration: Fig. 120. 62831]
In studying the design the attention is first attracted by an eye-like
figure near the left border. This is formed of a series of concentric
circles, and is partially inclosed by a looped band about one-eighth of
an inch in width, which opens downward to the left. This band is
occupied by a series of conical dots or depressions, the number of
which varies in the different specimens. The part of the figure inclosed
by this band represents the head and neck of the serpent. To the right of
the eye we have the mouth, which is usually shown in profile, the upper
jaw being turned upward exhibiting a double row of notches or teeth.
The body encircles the head in a single coil, which appears from
beneath the neck on the right, passes around the front of the head, and
terminates at the back in a pointed tail armed with well-defined rattles.
The spots and scales of the serpent are represented in a highly
conventionalized manner.
[Illustration: Fig. 121. Fig. 122. Shell gorgets with engraved designs
representing the rattlesnake.]
62841-62845. The handsome specimen given in Fig. 124 is in a very
good state of preservation. It is a deep, somewhat oval plate, made from
a Busycon perversum. The surface is nicely polished and the margins
neatly beveled. The marginal zone is less than half an inch wide and
contains at the upper edge two perforations, which have been
considerably abraded by the cord of suspension. Four long curved slits
or perforations almost sever the central design from the rim; the four
narrow segments that remain are each ornamented with a single conical
pit. The serpent is very neatly engraved and belongs to the chevroned
variety. The eye is large and the neck is ornamented with a single
rectangular intaglio figure. The mouth is more than usually well
defined. The upper jaw is turned abruptly backward and is ornamented

with lines peculiar to this variety of the designs.
[Illustration: Fig. 123. (62841.) Fig. 124. (62845.) Shell gorgets with
engraved designs representing the rattlesnake.]
The body of the serpent opposite