88 BULLETIN 14 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The series of paintings are fully 20 feet above the cave floor and diffi- 

 culty must have been experienced by the Indian artist in reaching 

 this section of the cave roof. The painting consists of a series of 

 outer crescentic lines within which are concentric V-shape figures. 

 At one of the outer crescents are several parallel lines forming a series 

 of incomplete V-shape figures. The w^hole painted design resembles 

 somewhat the triangular incised figures decorating Tainoan pottery 

 vessels (No. 2, pi. 6). 



Another maze figure appears within the same cave as the one con- 

 taining the " pillar stone " zemi. This figure is incised rather than 

 painted and is made up of many parallel incised lines, all of which 

 are broken either at or near the end or at the middle. A short trans- 

 verse incised line in each case passes from the broken line to the 

 nearest parallel line. A similar maze figure is illustrated by Koch- 

 Gruenberg from the Rio Aiary of the tropical forest region of north- 

 ern South America. 2^ 



Practically without exception the paintings and sculptures on cave 

 walls in Samana are realistic. The figures previously described are 

 apparently not realistic, although conventionalism in design may 

 have in these instances reached a development where the figures as- 

 sumed symbolic importance. A purely geometric painting in curvi- 

 linear crescentic lines appears on the walls of the " Railroad " cave 

 in one of the more remote galleries where a smooth surface of the 

 limestone walls was available to the primitive artist. Lines are in 

 parallel and appear to represent two crescents facing one another. 

 Parallel line paintings within the area so inclosed make the whole 

 pleasing in effect but entirely unintelligible. (Plate 6, No. 1.) 



The realism of remaining figures, both painted and sculptured, 

 from the Samana caves is striking. Represented are clearly dis- 

 tinguishable forms of bird life, insects, reptiles, fish and shellfish, 

 mammals, and forms of the human figure. 



Representations of the human figure appear in realistic and in con- 

 ventionalized forms. The more simple of these is nothing more than 

 an incised or painted truncated triangle within which are painted or 

 incised two circles or pits representing the eyes. These are united 

 with a downward projecting V-shape line. Legs represented as 

 simple lines extending from the base of the truncated triangle in- 

 variably have three transverse lines indicating toes (pi. 6, No. 5). 



Another representation of the human figure is in the form of a 

 recumbent oval line inclosing two punctations or pits representing 

 eyes. From the base of this oval representing the head extend two 

 vertical lines representing torso and legs. Base of torso is separated 

 from leg-line extensions: with a simple horizontal line. (Plate 6, 

 No. 7.) 



" Suedamerikanlsche Felszelchnungen, pi. 4. 



