REPRESENTATIONS OF FISHES, AQUATIC MAMMALS, ETC. 



213 



Fig. 357 represents a fish-shaped vessel found during the explorations of 

 aboriginal burial-places in Southeastern Missouri, in the region where New 

 Madrid is situated. These explorations, as known, brought to light a large 

 number of clay vessels. The figure is copied from a quarto volume prepared 

 under the auspices of the Archaeological Section of the Saint Louis Academy 

 of Science.* The vessel is thus described : "A very neat specimen of baked 

 ware ; the color is a pale yellow, and the curves denoting the scales are painted 

 in white." My endeavors to learn under what special circumstances it was 

 found, and where it is preserved, proved fruitless. 



FIG. 357. Fish-shaped clay vessel. Missouri. 



This specimen of pottery bears much resemblance to a certain class of fish- 

 shaped Peruvian vessels, of which mention will be made in the appendix to this 

 work. 



Delineations. The notched stone sinker represented in Fig. 261 on page 160 is 

 the only object in the National Museum, which has a bearing on prehistoric fish- 

 ing in the present territoiy of Mexico. Upon inquiry, I learned from Sr. Don 

 Grumesindo Mendoza, Dii'ector of the Museo National of Mexico, that relics illus- 

 trative of fishing as practised by the inhabitants of the Aztec empire are wanting 

 in that institution. Yet, the Mexicans undoubtedly acquired a great part of 

 their subsistence by fishing, and this is confirmed by the early authors treating 

 of their affairs. Fish-ponds in Mexico and other places of the country are 



* Contributions to the Archaeology of Missouri; Part I. Pottery (by Dr. Ed. Evers); Salem, Mass., 1880; 

 Fig. 4 on Plate 9. 



