1902.] Dtxon, Basketry Designs of California Indians. 5 



should be mentioned the moth-miller (Plate V, Fig. 5, Placer 

 County). The spread wings of the moth are said to be 

 represented in this design, which is apparently confined to 

 the Southern Maidu. Its resemblance to the black-oak on 

 Plate IX, Fig. 3, to the spool pattern of the Wintun (Plate 

 XXIV, Fig. i), and to the pine-cone (Plate XX, Fig. i) of the 

 Pit Rivers, may be noted. 



Among those designs having a very limited range is that of 

 the raccoon (Plate V, Fig. 3, Butte County). This is the only 

 specimen of the design seen, and is explained as representing 

 either the stripes on the animal or the os penis. The real origin 

 of the basket shown in Fig. 4 is not certain. Although in the 

 possession of the Indians of the Maidu stock in Big Meadows, 

 Plumas County, and claimed by them to have been made there 

 by Indians of that stock, there are reasons for supposing that 

 it may be a Pit River basket, although possibly only a good 

 instance of the adaptation of -Pit River designs slightly modi 

 fied. The design on the body of the basket is said to be flying 

 geese, the triangles and rhomboids in their arrangement typi 

 fying the flight of the bird. The design around the edge is 

 said to represent mountains (compare Plate XXII, Fig. 5). 



Three of the designs shown on Plate VI, representing the 

 grasshopper leg or foot, are more widely variant than any 

 others seen. In all three cases the meaning of the design was 

 given confidently. The type prevailing among the Southern 

 Maidu is that in Figs, i, 2 (Nevada and El Dorado Counties). 

 Among the Northern Maidu in the high Sierra, the form shown 

 in Fig. 3 (Plumas County) is the one in use, but it is a design 

 which, so far as observation shows, is seldom used. In the 

 Sacramento Valley villages of the Northern Maidu, however, 

 still another form is customary (Fig. 4, Butte County). Here 

 it was pointed out that the lines bent at an angle denoted 

 the bent leg of the grasshopper. It seems not impossible 

 that the form shown in Fig. 3 may be genetically related to 

 that in Figs. 1,2; and further search may show intermediate 

 stages in this development. All three of these, however, seem 

 to differ considerably in intent from Fig. 4. 



2. Plant Designs. One of the noteworthy features of Maidu 



