100 BULLETIN 137, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



intervals of from 1 to 3 centimeters and are fastened by means of 

 small wooden plug's thrust into holes drilled into the body of the 

 shield. The back or reverse of the shield has a reinforcing median 

 ridge cut out of the solid; it is ornafnented with meaningless geo- 

 metric scrolled carvings above and below the handle grip, which is 

 carved out of the solid just beneath the boss. The grip is quite 

 small and fitted only to three fingers of the hand. Obverse side of 

 the shield has small transversely placed splints of black camagon 

 wood {Diospyrus discolor), which are laced to camagon splints of 

 similar size on the reverse by rattan lacing passed through holes 

 drilled through the body; the purpose of the splint weaving is to 

 prevent the wood of the body from warping or cracking. Filletted 

 incised lines follow the border, are cut transversely at the center, 

 and extend in two long parallel bands down the entire central front 

 of the shield, which is highly polished. Short black pyramidal lines 

 of paint radiate in series of two, five, and six, each pyramidal-shaped 

 panel being 2 centimeters long. Boss is 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) 

 in diameter and resembles a truncated cone ; a circular piece of shell, 

 1 centimeter thick, 4 centimeters in diameter, and highly polished, 

 is placed on the boss point and is fastened with glue and a wooden 

 pin driven through a hole at the center into the wood of the body 

 of the shield. A suspension cord passes through median ridge at the 

 top and bottom. 



Length of shield, 107 centimeters (40 inches) ; greatest breadth, 26 

 centimeters (10.2 inches). Collected by the Philippine Island Com- 

 mission, Louisiana Purchase Exposition. (PI. 1.) Cat. No. 235244, 

 U.S.N.M. 



Tufted ohlong shield, Moro, Mindanao. — This is a splendid ex- 

 ample of Moro handicraft in wood carving. Both the obverse and 

 the reverse sides are filled with minute incised carving in rickrack 

 designs resembling diamond-shaped figures, the capital W, the 

 swastika emblem, and other punctated and triangular-shaped 

 figures. The body of the shield is formed of one piece of rather 

 thin, light-weight, convexly rounded wood, flat at the top, con- 

 vexly rounded at the base. The scalloped lateral edges are divided 

 into three segments by transversely placed clamps of bamboo on 

 both obverse and reverse sides at points approximately one-third 

 and two-thirds the distance from the base to the top. The clamps 

 are lashed together by wrappings of rattan passed through the 

 body of the shield. The boss stands out in relief 4 centimeters (1.6 

 inches) above the shield; it is truncated and tufted at the top and 

 sides with horsehair 10 to 15 centimeters (3.9 to 5.9 inches) in 

 length. Lateral edges are similarly tufted with horsehair fastened 

 with wooden plugs in holes driven in at the edges except near the 

 top. A median ridge projects longitudinally across the center of 



