The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-16

hollow. The bird Is but little larger than
a robin. and builds this mound OF green
twigs simply as a pleasure house. its eggs
being deposited in a nest not far distant.
In travelling over the prairies OF Illinois
several years ago. L noticed singular
mounds here and there In what was COM
raratively dry land. So numerous were
they that they made the surrounding coun-
try appear as though pillows had passed
over 1t, giving il an undulating shape.
Upon investigation I found that these
mound builders were little cray fish that
penetrated the soil in every direction from
the neighboring brooks. the mounds being
startling evidences of their industry.
Once in polling my boat along in the st.
Lawrence river, in water seven feet deep.
I came upon mound of stones from two
TO three inches in diameter. that rose to
within two feet OF the surface; so near. in
fact that / reached over and lifted some
of the pebbles from the top of the heap.
At first glance the mound looked like a
CARLOAD of stones that had been tipped
over from some steamer. or had not the
water been shallow might well have passed
for cinders thrown from a passing vessel.
But the stones were all selected pebbles.
and of the same general size. little
farther along the shore / found another
mound in shallow water. and in the course
Of month located several
These mounds proved to be the work of
fishes (Semotilus). Yea- after year they
toiled at the mound. piling I'D the stones
and bringing them in their mouths, in
many instances from not little distance.
4 Stir tod of
over ton in weight. In shape they were
cave-like, the fishes evidently dropping
the stones always from above so that they
rolled down, forming the shape desired.
In succeeding seasons they had built the
mounds TO the surface OF the water, or
so near it that during the winter the stones
were frozen in the ice, and in the spring
when the ice melted many of the top layer
were carried away.
The mounds were the nests of the fishes,
many of them depositing their eggs in
them, which were washed in the inter-
stices of the mound where the young.
when they appeared, found shelter.
Equally remarkable are the mound-like
structures of lamprey cells. One observed
in the Saco river was fifteen feet I'm length
of stones, but of larger size than in the
case Of the St. Lawrence-river mounds.
This accumulation was for a similar pur-
pose. and in contemplating 1t one won
ders how the builders could accomplish
so much. In removing the stones the cells
attached their sucker-like mouths to them,
and rising with a wriggling motion from
the bottom, allowed the current of the
stream to carry them along as far as il
would before they dropped; then the up
ward wriggling motion was repeated, until
finally the stone was placed where desired.
Among the material carried downstream
in this manner was a portion of brick that
took the united efforts of two large cells,
which held themselves upright in the water
as they were carried on by the current
In my walks and drives through the foot
hill country of Southern California / have
frequently seen a curious and interesting
moundbuilder. The first mound that at
tracted my attention was a mass of brush
piled I'D about the trunk of a small tree,
standing perhaps three feet from the
ground. 1t was so interviewer and inter-
laced that only with difficulty could / pull
it apart the short twigs having i'm some
way been wound in and out so closely that
the heap was not only an impregnable for
tress. but rain and weather-proof.
Not knowing exactly to what member
Of the animal kingdom the nest belonged,
retired few feet and soon saw the owner
a large, lustrous-eyed wood rat, that
watched me sharply from its point of van
tage, at the slightest movement lodging
back 1 had never seen an interior de-
scribed so l began to demolish the nest,
and labored long and hard before I had
laid it open.
The upper portion contained a room or
apartment lined with fine moss and the
bark of trees. and thoroughly protected
from the rain. There were other apart
ments or rooms, some stuffed with seeds
corncobs and pieces of cloth, probably
picked up in the vicinity of a neighboring
ranch house. The whole mass was honey
combed with tunnels, so that it was an i'm
possibility to catch one of the mound
builders mapping; and when 1 finally re-
moved the nest, 1 found that one of the
passages led into the ground and radiated
off in various directions.
Several species of these interesting little
creatures are known. some living in Flor
ida, where 1 have seen them among the
Palmetto leaves. piling up their curious
homes that slowly became veritable
mounds.
Many of the insects can be termed
mound-builders, forming heaps of clay
and earth, and in many other branches of
the animal kingdom we will find these
curious analogies TO the work of the hui
man mound-builders.
CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER.