NUMBER 3.—This group occurs upon the English Prairie, within the limits of Iowa county, Wisconsin. “In the vicinity of these are many other figures of various forms and dimensions. To the eastward commences a series of mammillary mounds, varying from one to two and a half feet in height. They are beautifully and with much regularity arranged at intervals, and extend to the distance of about fifteen hundred feet, terminating abruptly in a mound eighteen feet in height, and two hundred and twenty-five in circumference. To the north and south of the figures, and parallel with them, are numerous embankments with passage-ways through them.”
NUMBER 4.—This group is also situated in the vicinity of English Prairie. But half of the figures are represented; the remainder are of the same forms, supposed to represent birds.
NUMBER 5.—“The site of this remarkable work is upon an eminence, near Eagle Mills, Richland county, Wisconsin. It seems to be a combination of two figures, one representing the buffalo, perhaps, and the other a man. Immediately to the south-west, and within twenty feet of the head of this figure, commences a series of mounds, mostly conical.”
NUMBER 6 is near Blue river, English Prairie. Its outlines are very distinct; probably designed to represent the otter or a lizard. Figures of the kind are quite common.
NUMBER 7 is in the village of Muscoda, county of Grant. Its length is two hundred and sixty-four feet; height thirty inches.
There are many rectangular and some circular figures in addition to the animal-shaped effigies of which so many examples have been given. Fig. 26 represents the manner in which they are often combined. This example is from the great group on the English Prairie. Individual figures might be multiplied, but enough have been presented to convey a general idea of the character of these singular monuments. A complete survey of the field of their occurrence might disclose a dependence between the various groups, and go far towards explaining the mystery of their origin and purposes. [p134]
Some of these mounds have been excavated and found to contain human remains in all parts, while the excavations in others have been attended with no such developments. Those examined by Prof. Locke and Mr. S. Taylor revealed no deposits. Mr. R. C. Taylor mentions that twelve mounds, near Red Bank on the Fox river, were opened in 1837, and found to contain human bones in a very advanced stage of decomposition. One of the mounds was an animal-shaped structure, one hundred and fifty feet in length. The position of the skeletons indicated that the bodies had been placed upon the original surface previous to being heaped over. There were no appearances of excavation beneath the surface in any of the interments. It may be suggested that the human remains found in these mounds were deposited by the existing tribes of Indians, a suggestion which derives great force from the fact that both the Messrs. Taylor concur in representing that many of the Indians to this day bury in these structures, conceiving that they were originally designed for that purpose, although they possess no tradition respecting their origin. Some of the Indians, on the other hand, express the belief that the mounds in the form of animals were made by the “«Great Manitou»,” and are indicative of a plentiful supply of game in the world of spirits. At any rate, they are regarded with reverence by all the Indians, and are never disturbed by them, except for purposes of sepulture.