146 



A STUDY OF CHIRIQUIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



Fig. 246. 



head almost to the root of the tail. The length of the short tail is the same as 



the spread of the wings. 



The base of the missing head is surrounded by two black circles that are 



cut at the top by the lower of 

 two horizontal black circles. 

 Below these are black and red 

 zonal bands, interrupted only 

 by the head space. The tail 

 and wing feathers are indicated 

 by black parallel bands that 

 are partially lost, owing to 

 the crumbling away of the 

 underlying slip. The breast 

 is decorated with an original 

 design in black that evinces 

 brush-work skill of a rather 

 high order. The walls of the 

 vase are thick and the rela- 

 tively fine-grained, rich red 

 paste is tenacious. An at- 

 tempt to mend the break that 

 caused the loss of the bird's 

 head was made by using a 

 black substance that may 

 possibly be the same material 

 as the body of the black paint 

 employed in one of the de- 

 lineating colors. On analysis, 

 the substance proves to be 

 pine pitch, which might well 

 be one, at least, of the ingre- 

 dients in the black paint be- 

 cause of its adhesive qualities 

 as well as of its color. Other 

 possible blacks are oxide of 

 manganese, charcoal and soot. 

 According to Mr. C. V. Hart- 

 man, 1 the native women of 

 Izalco, Salvador, decorate 

 their calabash vessels with a 

 paint, the black color of which 

 is derived from powdered 

 charcoal. 

 The bird form is somewhat more pronounced in figure 247, although the ad- 



Fig. 247. 



Fig. 246. Globular vessel representing a bird, a low annular support 

 taking the place of feet ; from Divala. Alligator ware. '/' 



Fig. 247. Ornithomorphic vessel decorated with scale-group and spine 

 motives. Alligator ware. '/ 



1 Die Baumkalebasse im tropischen Amerika. Boas anniversary volume, 203, 1906. 



