162 CONVENTIONALISM 



rangement of the parts in the ultimate forms of the two 

 groups is different, the realistic beginnings of the two se- 

 ries are similar, and the method of conventionalization is 

 the same in principle. 



THE FISH ON THE FEET OF TRIPODS FROM CHIRIQUI. 



The recent acquisition by the Peabody Museum of a 

 large collection of pottery from the ancient graves in CM- 

 riqui, Panama, has drawn my attention again to the con- 

 ventional representation of the fish upon the feet of the 

 tripods, where the whole purpose to be served seems to 

 be simply and purely ornamental. This is the more prob- 

 able from the fact that other animals, and even the human 

 form, are represented on other tripods from the same 

 graves. I have selected the fish for illustration, as the 

 series belonging to this group is larger and more perfect 

 than the others. 



In the two figures represented on Plate III, the shape of 

 these tripods is shown. In one, the legs are plain, in the 

 other, they are ornamented in such a manner as to give 

 several of the special features of a fish. On each of the 

 feet, in the latter, we see the projecting and wide mouth, 

 the eyes, the pectoral fins, and a forked tail. The space 

 where the dorsal fins naturally would be placed was cut 

 away before the vessel was baked, and through this slit 

 can be seen the movable ball of clay with which these hol- 

 low legs are generally provided. 



In not a single instance is there an attempt to represent 

 the anal fin, which would have its natural position on the 

 opposite, or inner side of the foot of the vessel. Its ab- 

 sence can be taken as another evidence that this treatment 

 is purely for ornament, and it probably owed its origin to 

 the fact that the potter, realizing the adaptability of the 



