38 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Tbull. 41 



Its infliience is likewise strong in the White Mountain ruins and on 

 the Tiilarosa, and around the sources of the GiLa and Sah rivers. 



An examination of the decoration of pottery from Spruce-tree 

 House fails to reveal a single specimen with the well knowai broken 

 encircling line called " the line of life." As this feature is absent 

 from pottery from all the Mesa Verde ruins it may be said pro- 

 visionally that the ancient potters of this region were unfamiliar 

 w^ith it. 



This apparently insignificant characteristic is present, however, 

 in all the pottery directly influenced by the culture of the south- 

 western subceramic area. It occurs in pottery from the Gila and 

 the Salt River ruins, in the Hopi area, and along the Little Colorado, 

 including the Zuiii valley, and elsewhere. Until recorded from the 

 northeastern subceramic area, " the line of life " may be considered 

 a peculiarity of ceramics of the Gila subarea or of the pottery influ- 

 enced by its culture. 



Among the restored food bowls from Spruce-tree House, having 

 characteristic symbols, may be mentioned that represented in plate 

 l(j, c/, d\ which has on the interior surface a triangular design with 

 curved aj^pendages to each angle. The triangular arrangement of 

 designs on the interior surface of food bowls is not uncommon in the 

 Mesa Verde potter}^ 



Another food bowl has two unusual designs on the interior surface, 

 as shown in plate 18, <?, c' . The meaning of this rare symbolism is 

 unknown. 



In plates 16-19 are represented some of the most characteristic 

 symbols on the restored pottery. 



The outer surfaces of manj^ food bowls are elaborately decorated 

 witli designs as shown, while the rims in most cases are dotted. 



STOXE IMPLEMENTS 



Stone implements from Spruce-tree House include axes, mauls, 

 stone hammers, and grinding stones, in addition to other objects of 

 iniknown uses. As a rule these stone implements are rudely made, 

 although some of them are as fine as any known from the Southwest. 

 It is but natural that these implements should have been manufac- 

 tured from more compact and harder rock than that of which the 

 walls of the buildings were constructed. Apparently these objects 

 were not picked up in the neighborhood but brought to the site of 

 the ruin from a great distance. 



Axes 



The author collected several stone axes (pi. 21 and fig. 11) from 

 Spruce-tree House, some of which {a-f) are fine specimens. These 



