86  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    96 
typical  example  is  the  small  ivory  object  from  cut  i8,  depth  48  inches, 
shown  in  plate  15,  figure  8.  The  ornamentation  on  both  sides  centers 
around  a  pair  of  raised,  concentric  ellipses,  which  combined  with  curv- 
ing lines  at  the  rounded  tip,  produce  a  strong  impression  of  an  animal 
head.  Small  plugs  of  baleen  with  the  centers  hollowed  out  are  placed 
in  the  "  eyes  "  and  in  the  smaller  circle  below. 
The  harpoon  head  fragment  shown  in  plate  19,  figure  7  (cut  9, 
depth  20  in.)  is  decorated  in  a  similar  manner,  although  a  certain 
variety  is  afforded  by  a  judicious  use  of  bordering  lines,  spurs,  and 
a  small  graceful  petaloid  figure. 
The  elaborately  decorated  pail  handle  shown  in  plate  19,  figure  2, 
from  cut  7,  depth  67  inches,  is  a  good  example  of  what  can  be  ac- 
complished by  an  effective  grouping  of  concentric  circles  or  ellipses. 
In  this  case  the  elevated  concentric  ellipses  are  so  profusely  applied 
as  to  prevent  any  close  resemblance  to  an  animal's  head,  even  though 
the  individual  panels  enclosing  the  "  eyes  "  might  well  represent  a 
series  of  such  heads.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  intent  of  the  artist, 
the  composition  as  a  whole  is  more  suggestive  of  a  feather  or  plant 
design  than  anything  else.  Although  repetitive  in  character,  the  design 
is  remarkable  for  its  beautiful  flowing  symmetry  ;  repetition  has  served 
only  to  intensify  the  feeling  of  life  and  movement  inherent  in  the 
graceful  component  elements  of  the  design. 
The  ivory  pail  handle  shown  in  plate  19,  figure  3  (cut  15,  depth 
44  in.)  is  unique  in  combining  a  typical  geometric  design  with  a  per- 
fectly realistic  animal  carving.  The  head  is  that  of  a  walrus,  with 
one  tusk  broken  off.  It  is  carved  in  high  relief  and  is  remarkably  life- 
like in  every  detail.  The  accompanying  incised  decoration  is  a  scrolled 
design  made  up  of  concentric  rows  of  continuous  and  broken  lines, 
enclosing  a  pair  of  raised  ellipses.  This  design  is  the  nearest  approach 
to  a  true  scroll  that  has  yet  been  found  in  Old  Bering  Sea  art.  The 
curving  lines,  however,  instead  of  being  free  at  the  ends,  all  come 
together  and  continue  as  a  single  line  to  join  the  opposite  curve. 
Another  example  of  style  3  is  the  beautifully  decorated  harpoon 
socket  piece  (with  lower  end  broken  off)  shown  in  plate  27,  B.  This 
specimen  is  owned  by  Capt.  E.  D.  Jones,  former  Commander  of 
the  Coast  Guard  cutter  Northland,  who  obtained  it  from  an  Eskimo 
at  Sevunga.  It  probably  came  from  the  Kukuliak  midden.  In  the 
two  well-defined  animal  heads  just  above  the  center  we  have  another 
of  the  rare  examples  where  the  artist  chose  to  portray  an  actual  life 
form  by  a  varied  arrangement  of  the  usual  geometric  motives.  With 
consummate  skill  the  two  animal  heads  are  so  blended  into  the  com- 
position as  to  avoid  any  feeling  of  disharmony.    Although  they  form 
