66 LAUFER, THE DECORATIVE ART OF THE AMUR TRIBES. 



by conventionalized cocks, d is the terminating figure of a wave-line, a spiral, 

 with a fish-body attached below, and two cock-feathers above. The same 

 motive is employed in the representation of the cock e. f shows the type of two 

 inverted combatant cocks. The body is formed here by a fish, which continues 

 into another fish placed around the spiral of the wing. The tail is indicated 

 by three feathers, and the feet by a scroll with lateral offshoot, g corresponds 

 almost to the type B, only that here the head of the fish in the bird s body 

 is placed above, and its body below. Besides, the spaces between the cocks 

 bodies and the separating vertical axis form again conventionalized fishes. In 

 /i, i, and j are to be seen spirals adorned with cocks wing and tail feathers. 

 A remarkable design is k, where the two cock-feathers in the interior of the 

 oval figures represent the missing spiral lines. Finally, in / leaf-ornaments have 

 also been employed, partly in the form of two contiguous circles, partly in that 

 of ellipses enclosing a heart-shaped figure. 



Si i X iMEXs MADE OF FISH-SKIN. We have several times met with chess-board 

 patterns (see Fig. i, Plate x ; Figs. 5, 5 a, Plate xx ; Fig. i, Plate xxi), notwith 

 standing the fact that the game of chess is not known to any of the tribes of the 

 Amur region. Two other examples follow here. 



Fig. 2, Plate xxvin, shows the design on a tobacco-pouch made of 

 roe-skin, the interior of which is covered with fish-skin. Here are quadrangular 

 fields covered with chess-board patterns composed of pieces of white and black 

 fish-skin, which alternate with other fields of plain roe-skin. The ornament cut 

 out of fish-skin on the inner side of the lappet is subdivided into three parts. 

 The upper part contains a pair of facing spirals, around which cling two 

 conventionalized bipartite fishes, the eyes marked by small circles. Between 

 their bodies is a trefoil. In each of the two lower symmetrical fields are two 

 superposed spiral cocks, each of the under ones holding a trefoil in its beak. 



Fig. 3 of this plate represents an apron which is a kind of fish-skin patchwork. 

 There are three rows of squares containing alternately chess-board patterns 

 and other decorations. In the former, light and dark strips are interlaced as 

 in braid-work, the number of checks varying from seven to nine. The spaces 

 between the squares and the separate rows are filled up with long stripes, 

 alternately white and black, arranged in most cases diagonally. There are two 

 different ornamental figures in the other squares. In the one are four pairs 

 of facing spirals, grouped like a rosette around a figure consisting of two 

 trefoils. This ornament is cut out of fish-skin and sewed on a piece of dark-red 

 cloth ; the other figure is sewed on black cloth. In this latter, four conventional 

 ized cocks are grouped around a lozenge. The figures across the lower edge 

 are likewise cut out of fish-skin, sewed on, and colored alternately light brown 

 and bluish green. The fish-skin threads used here are red, green, blue, lilac, 

 and violet. 



-^Fig. 4, Plate xxvm, is a Goldian hunter s cap made of roe-skin, lined 

 with blue Chinese cotton. The crown is topped with two tassels and a sable-tail. 



