308 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 191 



cave at the base of a small cliff about 200 meters from the stream. 

 It is about 16 meters across the mouth and 10 meters deep. It 

 evidently had been used as an offertory, or burial place, but we found 

 no bones in it. Although the earthen floor was about 1 meter in 

 depth, the cultural material did not extend below 25 cm. Potsherds 

 were abundant, but there were no shells or other evidence of midden 

 material. The great majority of the sherds consisted of fragments of 

 large ollas, some with smooth, some with combed, surfaces. The 

 necks of the ollas frequently are decorated with horizontal combing 

 or what may be cord impressions. A few body sherds had a red 

 slip on the exterior and one had a row of bosses around the shoulder, 

 made by pressing from the interior. A number of sherds were car- 

 bonized on the exterior from use on the fire. Some bottom sherds 

 from large ollas were up to 4.5 cm. in thickness. 



TABOGA-4 



Approximately 400 meters west of the sandspit that joins Taboga 

 with El Morro at the north end of the island, there is a small valley 

 with a stream that flows only during the wet season. About 200 

 meters above the mouth of this stream, and approximately 50 meters 

 above sea level on the north side of the slope, is a midden deposit 

 about 40 cm. deep. 



We excavated a trench in approximately the middle of this, 8 

 meters X 8 meters, saving all of the sherds. We were struck by the 

 fact that the pottery differs considerably from that in Taboga-1. 



Painted ware consists typically of red and black stripes on a buff 

 or cream slip. Sometimes black stripes were on a red slip. Fre- 

 quently either the entire interior or exterior, or both, were red slipped. 

 The "red" color varies from orange to red. The more elaborately 

 painted examples were bowl forms, frequently with flat beveled rims. 



Larger vessels were olla forms of buff ware with outflaring rims or 

 collared necks. The necks usually were decorated with rough comb- 

 ing, probably done with the edge of a scallop shell. Often these 

 vessels had the lip painted red. Commonly the oUa bodies were 

 roughened by brushing. 



Some of the more noticeable points of difference from Taboga-1 

 were the much larger percentage of combed or brushed ware, the lack 

 of enlarged lips, and the apparent complete lack of incising. 



Stone artifacts were rare. There was one crude celt of a bluish 

 black stone, and quite u number of flint chips including one long 

 lamellar flake. 



