HOLMES.] RESUME. 435 



ness being secured. The texture was porous and the vessels were with- 

 out resonance. The paste exhibits two distinct varieties of color which 

 may be described roughly as light and dark. A certain range of dark 

 hues — blacks, browns, and grays — were probably produced by " smother 

 baking." Another set of colors embracing light reddish and yellowish 

 grays resulted from changes in the clay produced by simple open air 

 baking. 



A feature worthy of especial note is the great diversity of form — indi- 

 cating a long practice of the art, a high specialization of uses, and a con- 

 siderable variety in the originals copied. The manual skill exhibited 

 is of no mean order. Symmetry of form combined with considerable 

 grace of outline has been achieved without the wheel — a result attained 

 in still greater perfection by other American races. Notwithstanding 

 the great diversity of the forms of vessels, the very primitive condition of 

 the art is indicated by the absence of bricks, tiles, whistles, lamps, spin- 

 dle-whorls, toys, and statuettes. The models from which the vessels 

 were copied must have been quite varied, comprising shells of mollusks — 

 marine and fresh-water — gourd shells of varying shapes, and vessels of 

 wicker, bark, horn, and wood, such as are in common use with our 

 western and northern tribes. 



The execution of the ornamental designs indicates a rather low grade 

 of skill. This is especially true of work in color, which has the appear- 

 ance of a newly acquired art. Intaglio and relief work evinces much 

 greater skill — the incised forms especially giving evidence of long ex- 

 perience. 



In subject-matter the ornament employed bespeaks nothing higher 

 perhaps than could be expected of our historic tribes. The great body 

 of the devices are geometric, and comprise such motives as could have 

 developed within the art or that might have been borrowed from closely 

 associated arts. A small percentage of incised linear designs come, ap- 

 parently, from mythologic sources, and delineate, in a rude way, both 

 men and animals. 



The modeling of life forms in connection with earthen vessels consti- 

 tutes a feature of considerable interest, the highest known achievement 

 being represented by a series of vases imitating human heads. Ani- 

 mal forms are generally rudely modeled, the imitation of nature hav- 

 ing been apparently a secondary consideration — the associated idea or 

 the fancy for the grotesque being the stronger motive. The animal 

 forms are inferior to those carved in stone by some of the mound build- 

 ing peoples. 



That any of these images were idols in the ordinary acceptation of the 

 term is an idea that cannot be entertained. They are always associated 

 directly with vessels, and could not be more than representations of the 

 tutelary deities supposed to be interested in the uses or ceremonies to 

 which the vessels were assigned. 



In form there are many suggestions of the characteristic utensils of 



