Df ANCIENT AMERICAN ART. 165 



fish are omitted except the pectoral and ventral fins which 

 are placed on each side of the long opening in the foot, 

 and the dorsal fin which is placed over it. Pendent from 

 the knob representing the dorsal fin are the two chevron 

 bands. In this conventionalized form a simplicity in or- 

 nament has been reached which is far more pleasing to the 

 eye than are the crude and crowded expressions in the 

 preceding figures. 



As the two tripods with this chevron ornament are from 

 graves near together, they may represent the success- 

 ive efforts of the potter struggling to give expression to 

 artistic feelings. 



The Pectoral and Ventral Fins. Plate V. Figure 5 is 

 another instance where an addition has been made to the 

 characters of the fish. In this case the head is expressed 

 by the nose and eyes which are carved in relief upon a tri- 

 angular piece of clay added to the upper part of the foot. 

 On each side of this piece of clay are the pectoral fins, 

 while the ventral fins are united by a band of clay cross- 

 ing the opening in the foot. On this band are several 

 slight v-shaped indentures. As in the last figure and in 

 the following, there is no attempt to represent the caudal 

 fin. 



A resultant form from the last is shown in figure 6. In 

 this the general curved outline of the head, or mouth, of 

 the fish is retained as the upper border of the foot, while 

 the pectoral and ventral fins are expressed by rather large 

 pieces of clay with deep notches. 



Two more lines are to be traced in this conventionalism 

 of the fish. In one the mouth is the essential feature and 

 in the other the dorsal fin. They both start from a realistic 

 form like fig. 2, PL IV, but they soon diverge and the re- 

 sults are decidedly different. 



