NO. 8 DESIGNS ON MIMBRES POTTERY — FEWKES 9 



Figure 26 belongs to the Eisele collection and was found in the 

 same ruin as figure i. It represents a wading bird (ibis ?) with cor- 

 respondingly long legs and neck, along which are four small fishes. 

 A short distance from its beak is another fish, apparently about to be 

 devoured by the bird. 



One of the instructive forms of composite animals is a figure re- 

 sembling a bat seen laterally. It shows tail, fore and hind legs of a 

 quadruped, and an appendage attached to the back as seen in 

 figure 27. This appendage represents a wing or row of feathers, seven 

 of which are rounded at the tips and 24 marked with dots at the distal 

 end, and three have their extremities cut off straight, angular or more 

 pointed than the other feathers. The snout of this animal closely re- 

 sembles that of a bat and has teeth. Three arrows are shown as 

 converging at the mouth as if talking to this animal. Altogether, 

 this is one of the most exceptional forms of flying animals in the 

 Eisele collection, and represents some ancient myth.^ 



As in collections previously described, avian figures predominate, 

 but the few specimens here considered introduce one or two novel 

 variations. The simplest form of bird figure in the collection made in 

 1923 is shown dorsally in figure 28. Here we have a form where 

 wings, body, tail, and head are outlined with straight lines. The head 

 is triangular, black in color, with two dotted eyes. The wings are also 

 triangular and are crossed by parallel lines. The body is rectangular 

 and the tail ends in two triangular black points. The peripheral zone 

 of decoration of this vessel is peculiar and artistic, consisting of 

 alternating zigzag and triangular lines, the character and shape of 

 which are shown in the figure. 



Figure 29 (Eisele collection) represents a quail with tufted head 

 turned to one side, and peculiar wing feathers. The aborigines rarely 

 represent a bird laterally with its head twisted back as gracefully as in 

 this picture. The curved appendage to the eye recalls the club-shaped 

 bodies so constantly occurring in Casas Grandes pottery. The wing 

 feathers are of two varieties : one with rounded tips and dots ; the 

 other pointed, without dots. The wing is made conspicuous by being 

 white in color while the bodv is black. The necklace is white. 



^ It suggests a quadruped with an extended wing of a bird. The situation 

 of the arrows is suggestive. In several Hopi legends there are accounts of 

 how a supernatural being shot arrows into the sky, which talked w'ith a mytho- 

 logical personage and then voluntarily flew back to the sender. One of these 

 talking arrows was noted in the legend of the Snake people. Snake Ceremo- 

 nials at Walpi, Journ. Amer. Arch, and Eth., Vol. IV, 1894. 



