NO. 14 ARCHEOLOGY OF BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS STRONG I37 



characteristics already referred to, l)ut in addition there are vari- 

 ations in shape, color, and design, which could only be adequately 

 treated by a more detailed analysis of this rich material than is 

 possible here. 



There is a large number of complete vessels, lugs, and fragments of 

 the elaborately decorated monochrome ware, including some very tall 

 pieces (30 cm in height). One large red vessel, beautifully fluted, is 

 noteworthy. Numerous annular bases are present, and one of these 

 has an opposed step design offset with upright and inverted T's, so 

 deeply incised as almost to penetrate the walls. This is nearly identical 

 with the design cut in the annular base of certain marble vases from 

 the Uloa. Simple monochrome pottery types are rare, but the majority 

 of the clay figurines assigned to Bonacca are crude, simple, and red 

 in color. 



One of the most interesting and significant finds made by the 

 Mitchell-Hedges party in the Sacrificial Spring on Bonacca was a 

 small image (38 cm high) of gray steatite, representing a human with 

 an animal crouched on his head (fig. IJ, h).^" This little statue, al- 

 though rather complex, is crude and presents a somewhat unfinished 

 appearance. The upper figure suggests a seated monkey with a square 

 featureless face ; below this is a rounded cylinder with a pediment 

 and capstone, both decorated with incised chevron designs. The com- 

 bined figures are supported on three rectangular legs. On the front 

 of the rounded cylinder is a broad semi-ovoid human face with definite 

 features ; two bent arms are faintly shown in relief and two small 

 knobs on the chest. Although this little statue is crude, it definitely 

 calls to mind the stone human figures supporting animals especially 

 characteristic of the lake region of western Nicaragua. (See Lothrop, 

 192 1, especially figs. 69, c and 70, a.) There are several simple steatite 

 figurines, a fragment of a stone pot rest, and other more common 

 types of ground stone artifacts in the Bonacca storage collection. 



The selection of artifacts from the Mitchell-Hedges Bay Island 

 collections on exhibit in the Museum of the American Indian is very 

 striking. The specimens are not labelled as to island or other pro- 

 venience but, taken as a whole, the case gives an excellent picture of 

 the finer class of Bay Island artifacts. Of the Polychrome I ceramic 

 type, there is one mottled gray vase with faint traces of design (fig. 

 37, d) which is almost identical in form with the Dixon site ofifertory 



'* See signed article by Mitchell-Hedges, The Washington Herald, Sunday, 

 Aug. 17, 1930, for a brief mention of the finding and a photograph of this piece. 

 It is on exhibit in the Museum of the American Indian. 



