FEWKES] ANTIQUITIES OF MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK 27 



In addition to the specimens above referred to, the majority of 

 which are duplicated in the author's collection, no objects from 

 Spruce-tree House are known to have been described or figured else- 

 where, so that there are embraced in the present account practically 

 all printed references to known material from this ruin. But there 

 is no doubt that other specimens as yet unmentioned in print still 

 exist in public collections in Colorado, and later these also may be 

 described and figured. From the nature of the author's excavations 

 and method of collecting, little hope remains that additional speci- 

 mens may be obtained from rooms in Spruce-tree House, but the 

 northern refuse-heap situated at the back of the cavern may yet yield 

 a few good objects. This still awaits complete scientific excavation. 



The author's collection from Spruce-tree House, the choice speci- 

 mens of which are now in the National Museum, numbers several 

 hundred objects. All the duplicates and heavy specimens, about 

 equal in number to the lighter ones, were left at the ruin where they 

 are available for future study. These are mostly stone mauls, 

 metates and large grinding implements, and broken bowls and vases. 

 The absence from Spruce-tree House of certain characteristic objects 

 widely distributed among SoutliAvestern ruins is regarded as worthy 

 of comment. It will be noticed in looking over the author's collec- 

 tion that there are no specimens of marine shells, or of turquoise orna- 

 ments or obsidian flakes, from the excavations made at Spruce-tree 

 House. This fact is significant, meaning either that the former 

 inhabitants of this village were ignorant of these objects or that the 

 excavators failed to find what may have existed. The author accepts 

 the former explanation, that these objects were not in use by the 

 inhabitants of Spruce-tree House, their ignorance of them having 

 been due mainly to their restricted commSrcial dealings with their 

 neighbors. 



Obsidian, one of the rarest stones in the cliff-dwellings of the 

 Mesa Verde, as a rule is characteristic of very old ruins and occurs 

 in those having kivas of the round type, to the south and west of 

 that place. 



It is said that turquoise has been found in the Mesa Verde ruins. 

 The author has seen a beautiful bird mosaic with inlaid turquoise 

 from one of the ruins near Cortez in Montezuma valley. This speci- 

 men is made of hematite with turquoise eyes and neckband of the 

 same material; the feathers are represented by stripes of inlaid tur- 

 (juoise. Also inlaid in turquoise in the back is an hour-glass figure, 

 recalling designs drawn in outline on ancient potter3\ 



The absence of bracelets, armlets, and finger rings of sea shells, 

 objects so numerous in the ruins along the Little Colorado and the 

 Gila, may be explained by lack of trade, due to culture isolation. 



