10 BULLETIN 87, XTMTEb STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



commonly found in cave rubbish, but on account of its extreme bitter- 

 ness it may not have been eaten, and the shell is too thin for practi- 

 cal uses, but the dried chaffy fibrous pulp may have been valued for 

 some purposes. Necked gourds were used as seed vessels (fig. 5, diam- 

 eter, 4i inches; height, 7 inches; Cat. No. 246294, U.S.N.M.) and 

 dippers. No evidence could be procured that gourd rattles were 

 made. Some of the fragments from the Tularosa Cave show orna- 

 mentation by scratching on the outer surface of the gourd. Gourd 

 shell was also made into ornaments (see figs. 219 and 220), probably 

 representing flowers, as among the Plopi and other Pueblos, and 

 perforated or otherwise worked fragments are found in some number 

 in the cave debris. One potter's tool of gourd in the form of a spoon- 

 like spatuhi and resembling those used at present 

 by the Pueblos, was taken from the Tularosa Cave. 

 Squash stems are common in the caves, and occa- 

 sionally pieces of the rind are seen. The stems 

 are large and bulbous, indicating a bulky fruit. 

 Seeds of the squash and of other plants of 

 this genus are sometimes preserved in the cave 

 fi ,. ^ ^^^^fflk deposits. 



y ■^^^ffl^ill BEANS. 



Beans of apparently three varieties were among 



the valuable food resources of the tribes of the 



upper Gila-Salt drainage. One of these is a 



Fig. 5— GouKD SEED clark purple, medium size, oblong bean of the 



VESSEL FROM TuLA- tj'plcal klducy shape; another a small oblong, 



dark, purple-brown bean; and the third a small, 



rather full, yellow bean. Specimens are very scarce in the caves, 



though the dried husks are frequently observed. 



The banana-like fruits of the datil {Yucca haccata), and tunas 

 from cacti of several species, were consumed as food, as no doubt were 

 the wild gooseberry and other fruits in season along the mountains. 

 It is known, also, from specimens found, that the roasted leaves of 

 the agave, which furnish an agreeable sweetmeat, were eaten by these 

 Indians. 



The wild grape grows abundantly along the streams and at the 

 time of blooming fills the valleys with a delicious odor. The fruit is 

 sour but edible. 



ROOTS. 



There were found a number of roots which had been gathered and 

 dried by the aborigines, but of these only the rough masses of soap- 

 root {Yucca sp.) and of the wild gourd can be identified. 



