30 LAUFER, THE DECORATIVE ART OF THE AMUR TRIBES. 



to nature. Their beaks cohere. The tops of their heads are combined by 

 a figure composed of two fish-bodies. Besides, in the body of the two cocks con 

 ventionalized fishes are incised, and from under their throats depend two fishes 

 with heads downward, the eyes of which are clearly distinguished. The pinions 

 are symbolized by a simple scroll. These latter parts described as such have at 

 the same time another function : they form the body of a conventionalized cock, 

 being above the realistic one and cut out of bark. The long outstretched heads 

 of this pair of cocks almost touch each other ; to the head is attached the upper 

 outline of the body in a slight curve, which joins an upward-extending hook in 

 dicating the tail. Over these combined figures of cocks are two odd independent 

 bird-heads, obviously with crooked beaks. To the right and left of this central 

 oroup we see a repetition of the same picture. Here we are immediately con 

 fronted by two naturalistic fishes that were explained as carp. In these the head, 

 the eyes, the ventral fins, and the tail are expressed. Incised on these carp is 

 the image of a conventionalized fish, whose tail is turned toward the eye of the 

 realistic fish. The form of the body of the latter is assimilated to the wave-line 

 above it, which runs off below into a scroll. The knob forming the starting-point 

 of this scroll represents at the same time the round object held in the cock s 

 beak ; and this cock s head is really represented in the succeeding circuit of the 

 curve. These cocks heads, in their turn, rest on the spirals below, symbolizing 

 their bodies ; and these spirals are executed in such a way that in their interior a 

 fish-body with plainly distinguished head, body, and tapering tail, is clinging closely 

 to them. Furthermore, the spirals above, surrounding the realistic carp, are at 

 the same time symbolical representatives of a cock s body, except that here, un 

 like the case below, the cocks heads are put in a realistic design, but in a manner 

 similar to that in the upper part of the central figure, in which conventionalized 

 heads are shown ornamentally connected with the adjoining diametrical line 

 of the body and tail. The short side of the basket (Fig. i a) is bisected by 

 wave-lines of a form allied to that in Fig. i. The separation of the fields is 

 effected by a cluster of three downward-extending fish-heads. On either side of 

 these are two standing realistic roosters with hooked beaks, triskeles-shapecl 

 pinions, fishtail-formed tail-feathers, and feet. On both the extreme ends are 

 drawn two carp true to nature, in an attitude as if about to dive. They are com 

 ponents at the same time of a spiral ; the form of their triskeles-shaped tails is 

 nearly identical with the pinions of the two central roosters. In the body of both 

 carps is seen again a conventionalized bipartite fish. The whole of this fish- 

 spiral symbolizes at the same time the body of a cock, as is clearly pointed out by 

 the incised bird-heads visible above it. 



Figs. 2 and 2 a, Plate xi, represent the ornaments on the rim of the cover 

 of a lacquered tobacco-box, the cover of which is seen in Fig. 18. They are 

 painted red and light green, and bordered by black lines. On the front side of 

 the rim (Fig. 2) we observe two small and five large equal triangles. In the small 

 triangle to the left there is a fancifully combined figure, showing in its centre the 



