140 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



SUMMARY AND COMPARISON 



THE BAY ISLANDS 



Previous reports on Bay Island archeology are not extensive. For 

 the island of Utila, Rose has presented some interesting observations." 

 He notes that there is considerable broken pottery scattered over the 

 island and that large jars are occasionally dug out. Small earth and 

 rock mounds are found in many parts of the island, and on the south 

 shore these occur within lOO yards of the beach. In 1897 a mound on 

 the north side of the island was opened by treasure hunters, and a 

 large decorated red vessel covered with six red plates was found at 

 a depth of several feet. The vessel contained smaller vessels, chipped 

 points, stone and ivory (shell?) celts, coral beads, and clay figurines. 

 The most striking of the smaller vessels was a " glazed " dark brown 

 " water pot " in the form of a " bear ". The projecting head had a 

 rattle, and the tail, which had been broken ofif, once served as a handle. 

 According to Rose, Stuart hill (which neither Bird nor myself visited) 

 is said to be the point of convergence of several cobbled causeways 

 and appears to be paved on top with coral and black flint rock. One 

 of these boulder causeways extends northeast to " an Indian burial 

 ground at a place called Bamboo ", another leads in the opposite 

 direction to Rock Harbor on the northern side, and a third leads to 

 the vicinity of East Harbor. In places these causeways are covered 

 with earth, but at others they are clearly visible and sometimes still 

 in use. Rose carefully mentions two cobbled roads, one at the " Middle 

 Path " and the other at the " Eastern Path ", which he had built, so 

 that these will not be confused with the aboriginal constructions. We 

 neither saw nor heard of any native causeways during our hurried 

 visit to the island, nor of the " Indian Well " at East Harbor, which 

 originally had a circular form with funnel-shaped walls of stone. 



Roatan, the largest island, has received the fewest notices. Young 

 (1842, p. 48) states that Roatan exhibits even more proofs of Indian 

 occupation than does Bonacca, and Conzemius examined one elabor- 

 ately carved, three-legged metate, which was said to have been found 

 near Port Royal. It was held for an exorbitant sum as the only 

 metate of this type in good condition found on the Bay Islands. 

 (Conzemius, 1928, p. 67.) In the Museum at Liverpool are three 

 tripod bowls, one of which has applique decoration and a human 

 figure looking over the rim, which are from the island of Roatan 



"" Rose, 1904, chap. 4. This little book is rare ; it is not in the Library of Con- 

 gress, but the library of the Pan American Union has a copy. 



