664 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 46. 



the rim and extending down about 5 inches, is not more than one-half 

 inch in thickness, although the rim itself is quite heavy and flaring. 

 The coarser fabric extends from the rim downward, and evidently- 

 formed a band about 3 inches in width around the upper portion 

 of the vessel. Unfortunately only a small part of the impression of 

 the finer cloth remains, but it is clearly defined. The neatness with 

 which the two pieces of fabric had been joined, the position of the 

 border, and the clearness of the impressions of the fabrics on 

 the outer surface of the vessel suggest the attempt on the part of 

 the maker to make use of the impression as a means of decorating 

 the large ''salt pan." 



Many fragments of large vessels found in the vicinity of the salt 

 sprmg bear the imprint of a very coarse material. Examples are shown 

 in plate 56, a and h. It has been a question whether this form of 

 impression should be attributed to a piece of flat, woven matting, 

 or to a shallow basket which had been used in forming the vessel. If 

 a matting, it would be difflcult to understand how it could be placed 

 so as to conform with the convex surface of a vessel. For this and 

 another reason about to be stated, it is evident that h, and possibly 

 a, represents the imprint of the inner surface of a coarsely woven 

 basket. In h the woof elements form distinct ridges a little less than 

 1 inch apart. If a surface of this nature had been covered with a 

 thin fabric and impressed upon a mass of soft clay, the ridges of the 

 woof would be clearly shown. This eftect is produced in c of the same 

 plate. Here is the imprint of a very fine fabric, but on the surface 

 of the fragment may be traced four parallel ridges, corresponding 

 with the woof elements in h. The natural conclusion is that a surface 

 similar to that of h had been covered with the cloth, the imprint of 

 which is so distmctly visible; the latter bemg thin and yielding had 

 followed the rough, irregular surface beneath it. 



A very interesting specimen is reproduced in plate 57 b. This small 

 fragment bears the imprint of two pieces of cloth, one of which over- 

 laps the other. The third example, c, on this plate shows the im- 

 print of three distinct materials on the same piece of pottery. This 

 is a portion of a large "salt pan," being a section of the rim. In the 

 center, clearly defined, is the impression of a coarse material. On the 

 right is the imprint of a fabric resembling plate 56 6. On the left 

 is the impression of coarser fabric. Both fabrics had been placed 

 over the surface of coarsely woven matting, or, more likely, the 

 inner surface of a basket, an exposed section of which is visible 

 between them. 



This apparent use of baskets in the shaping of the large "salt pans" 

 tends to verify a statement made many years ago: "Another method 

 j)ractised by them is to coat the inner surface of baskets made of 

 rushes or wiUows with clay to any required thickness, and when dry, 



