180 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1900. 



become entangled thej^ are quietly withdrawn beneath the shelter find 

 secured (Plate 32 h). The lower illustration, r/, shows James Alto, the 

 reservation policeman, emerging upon the platform from the shelter. 

 Powers mentions the use of snares, probably of this class. He says 

 that "for snaring quail, rabbits, and other small game they employed 

 cords made of a kind of 'wild flax' found in the Sierras. 1 presume 

 this ' wild flax ' is milkweed {Asclepias).'''' In Plate 33 a we have a draw- 

 ing of one of the snares and in h a game basket of peculiar form. In 

 the same plate are included a pair of wooden fire sticks or tongs, c, and 

 a looped stick for lifting stones from the boiling baskets, d. The native 

 scrubbing brushes and the yucca bulbs from which the}' are made are 

 illustrated in Plate 34. 



At one of the houses near the pictured rocks I was so fortunate as 

 to obtain parts of a ceremonial costume, consisting of a feather head- 

 dress, ear ornaments, thorn needle with asphaltum head, etc. . shown 

 in Plate 35. The importance attached to these articles was made 

 apparent by the care with which the}" were wrapped up in especially 

 prepared coverings and hidden away. There was also a more complete 

 costume in possession of one of the men of the family, but this could 

 not be secured. It included the primitive skirt made of long strands, 

 forming a fringe, upon which are strung pine nuts and beads. It was 

 said that these were parts of old time ceremonial dance costiunes, 

 still used on great festal occasions. 



The Tulares are among the most expert of basket makers. Plate 

 36 illustrates three winnowing baskets, and Plates 37 and 38 three 

 bowl shaped pieces of excellent qualit}'. The tine specimen shown in 

 Plate 39 a and I and Plate 40 was obtained from the good woman, 

 Mrs. Pedro Tennis, who had just completed it. The low, flat-topped 

 bottle form is apparently' peculiar to this tribe. Occasionallv a piece 

 is seen much flatter in the body than this specimen. The workmanship 

 and aesthetic treatment are of a high order, and the deteriorating 

 influence of modei'n conditions is seen only in the use of red worsted, 

 which I suppose takes the place of red feathers of earlier times. The 

 baskets in use to-day include also carrying baskets of usual California 

 types. 



The native names for the basket-making materials and for the various^ 

 articles illustrated in the accompanying plates are not given for the 

 reason that 1 had no time to verify the data secured from James Alto, 

 although he seems a thoroughly honest and intelligent man. 



1 was particularly anxious to secure one of their gambling trays, 

 which are large, flat basket plaques, but the last specimen in the 

 vallej'-, so it was said, had recently been carried away b}' a collector. 

 We were so fortunate, however, as to secure an unusually old and fine 

 example through the courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Briggs, of San 

 Francisco, who had o])tained it from an old woman living on a ran- 



