90  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    96 
Six  decorated  ivory  needle  cases  from  Miyowagh  are  shown  on 
plate  17,  figures  4-9.  The  ornamentation  on  figures  4,  8  and  9  shows 
up  more  distinctly  in  the  drawings  on  plate  i8,  Plate  17,  figures  4 
and  8  (cut  9  a,  24  and  20  in.  deep,  respectively)  are  examples  of 
Old  Bering  Sea  style  3,  the  ornamentation  in  both  cases  centering 
around  pairs  of  "  animal  heads  "  with  prominent  eyes  formed  of 
elevated  concentric  circles.  Plate  17,  figure  9  (cut  4,  depth  55  in.) 
is  decorated  in  an  unusually  delicate,  graceful  style.  Four  looped 
figures  formed  of  finely  incised  concentric  lines  occupy  the  flattened 
center  and  enclose  a  long,  narrow,  sharp-pointed  figure  and  three 
detached  dots ;  a  fourth  dot  has  a  circle  inscribed  around  it  with  two 
short  spurs  attached  to  the  periphery.  The  graceful  symmetry  of  this 
entire  central  design  is  further  enhanced  by  the  decorative  treatment 
applied  to  the  projecting  flanges  at  the  center  and  the  top. 
The  ivory  needle  case  shown  in  plate  17,  figure  6  (cut  9,  depth 
unknown)  bears  an  unusual  decoration  consisting  of  obliquely  in- 
cised longitudinal  bands  each  composed  of  three  parallel  lines,  each 
pair  of  bands  connected  by  a  series  of  short,  curving  cross  bands  also 
formed  of  three  lines. 
Plate  17,  figure  7,  is  a  poorly  preserved  needle  case  from  cut  9  a, 
depth  13  inches.  Around  one  end  is  a  band  of  three  parallel  lines, 
with  spurs  attached  to  the  lowermost  line.  At  the  center  is  a  similar 
band  of  four  lines  with  spurs  pointing  both  upward  and  downward, 
and  four  equidistant  petaloid  figures  each  enclosing  a  row  of  five 
dots  and  having  at  the  top  three  sharp  projecting  spurs.  Below  these 
are  four  more  petaloid  figures,  each  with  a  short  "  arrow  "  design 
at  the  center. 
The  simplest  of  the  needle  cases  is  that  shown  in  plate  17,  figure  5, 
from  cut  7,  depth  33  inches.  It  has  a  double  flange  along  either  edge 
and  a  simple  straight  line  decoration. 
In  plates  15  and  19  are  shown  several  Old  Bering  Sea  objects  with 
simple  ornamentation  which  does  not  fall  into  any  of  the  three  recog- 
nized "  styles."  Plate  15,  figure  7  (cut  19,  depth  34  in.)  is  an  ivory 
plug  with  an  oval  face  and  blunt  cylindrical  tang.  At  the  center  is  a 
deep,  four-pointed  figure  with  concave  sides,  cut  out  around  a  central 
nucleated  circle — or  cylinder — and  outside  of  it  four  small  round  pits. 
In  the  central  excavation  is  the  remnant  of  a  wooden  inset. 
Plate  15,  figure  12  (cut  24,  depth  54  in.)  is  probably  a  drill  cord 
handle.  It  is  similar  to  one  from  St.  Michael  figured  by  Nelson 
(pi.  37,  fig.  15).  It  is  formed  of  two  seal  heads  facing  in  opposite 
directions;  the  eyes  are  formed  of  slightly  projecting  wooden  plugs 
set  in  round  pits. 
