100 



BULLETIN" 87, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



arms. This medicine was supposed to make the enemy weak and 

 womanly. 



The remains of a splendid bow were found standing with others 

 against the back wall of the Bear Creek Cave where a slight alkaline 

 seepage issues, and for this reason the bow has slowly decayed for 

 about one-third of its length. It is a smoothly finished and good 

 example of the better bows of the region. (Fig. 204 a.) The decora- 

 tive patterns on this bow are especially interesting. Near the end the 

 design is narrow bands, lined, and the lines of differing length, 

 which appear to represent mottled bark. (Fig. 204 a.) This area 

 is demarked from the next by a band of horizontal lines going around 

 the bow. The next area is of frets (fig. 204 h), arranged in bands 

 and representing weaving of tw^illed splints, as on the flutes. (See 

 fig. 329.) An area of bands formed by a grouping of parallel hori- 

 zontal lines follows and then a design in red, green, black, and yellow 



Fig. 208. — Ceremonial bow from ZdSi Salt Lake. 



which resembles Mexican art. (Fig. 204 c^.) The central design 

 appears to be the interlocking bird fret but the comma-like figures 

 on the background are unintelligible and apparently are not ancient 

 Pueblo. (Cat. No. 473 of the Gates collection.) The bow in its 

 present state is 36 inches long ; original length, 54 inches. 



A description of some of the miniature specimens follows : 



Bow of dressed wood painted red, the string of j^ucca fiber, painted 

 also with red ocher. One ceremonial cigarette remains attached to 

 the string. A bundle of three arrows is tied to the bow with a cotton 

 cord. They are slender reeds having wooden foreshafts painted red 

 thrust in the end. (Fig. 205, Cat. No. 232164, U.S.N.M.; length, 17^ 

 inches; arrows, 19^ inches long.) 



Bow made of a dressed branch or stem painted red, green, and 

 black on the end portions and left jDlain in the middle. The ends are 

 wrapped in corn husk. (Fig. 206, Cat. No. 232165, U.S.N.M. ; length, 

 18 inches.) 



Bow, a smooth finished stick painted green with copper carbonate 

 and supplied with a yucca fiber string colored with red ocher. (Fig. 



1 Penafiel, Indumentaria Mexicana, pi. 24, figures a bow of the same shape and deco- 

 rated like some of those from Blue River. 



