LAUFER, THE DECORATIVE ART OF THE AMUR TRIBES. 67 



The edtre is covered with a strip of black and one of red cloth, between which are 



O 



narrow stripes of yellow. These, as well as the ear-lappets, are trimmed with 

 applique ornaments cut out of fish-skin. The elements of the ornament running 

 around this cap are distorted cocks, arranged in pairs around trefoils in the lower 

 row, and in double pairs attached to the upper and lower points of a quaclrifo- 

 liate lozenge in the upper row. This case, together with the two preceding ones, 

 proves that fish-skin is sometimes used merely as decorative material. 



On Plates xxix and xxx we have eight representations of decorated 

 fish-skin garments, which are worn exclusively by women. The ornaments are 

 cut out of pieces of fish-skin, and are generally colored blue ; they are then 

 sewed with fish-skin thread to a piece of fish-skin of a shape adapted to the size 

 and form of the ornament. A great number of such single patterns are then 

 symmetrically put together on the garment itself. A different method is 

 employed only on the garment in Fig. i, Plate xxix. Here we have three 

 layers of fish-skin, the undermost representing the skin of the garment proper ; 

 the uppermost showing the ornaments in their cut-out forms. Between these 

 two layers is inserted a middle layer, which serves as a background to the 

 ornament proper, throwing out distinctly the negative parts as well as the outline 

 of the ornament. It extends a little beyond the edges of the uppermost layer, 

 which is sewed to this one. The middle layer is dyed partly light red, partly 

 blue, so that the edges of the negative parts of the ornaments appear in these 

 colors, setting off the monotonous color of the underlying plain fish-skin. There 

 are three neat naturalistic perching cocks (a) with trisulcate tails and open beaks. 

 Very curious are the downward-stretched cock-heads in b, alternating in the 

 intervening figures with triskeles corresponding to them. If the eye were 

 marked in the latter, they could hardly be distinguished from these realistic 

 heads. The constituents of the long-extended figures marked c may be ana 

 lyzed in a similar way. There is an embroidery on the collar of this garment 

 showing various two-lobed leaves and a trefoil surrounded by the outlines of 

 a heart. 



Nearly all forms of cock and fish ornaments are represented on the following 

 specimens. We observe the cock with wings outstretched, in a of Fig. 2, Plate 

 xxix, probably perched on an ornamentally devised tree, and crowing, for its 

 beak is open. Its body is shaped like a fish, the head of which, formed by a 

 circle, lies in the back part ; and another fish, enclosing a large dot, is marked 

 off in this same body. The cock placed sideways (&amp;lt;) is similarly formed. It is 

 likewise crowing ; but tail-feathers and wing-feathers are represented by only 

 three curved lines, whereas the former (a) shows four parallel curves for the tail, 

 and even six for the wing. Inside of the fish-formed body b the head of the fish 

 is marked by a scroll and a circle similar to that in a above it. The cock on the 

 border to the left side (f) has undergone some further alterations, because the 

 artist was obliged to adapt its shape to the double circular lines which enclose it. 

 It shows a wattle under its throat, and has a fish-body. Its pinion is formed by a 



