FEWKEs] ARCHEOLOGICAL OBJECTS 155 



incised decoration.s found on wooden and stone stools, idols, and other 

 objects undoubtedly of prehistoric manufacture. 



The majority of these clusters of river pictographs, especially those 

 along the Rio Grande de Arecibo, occur in the neighborhood of dance 

 plazas, which will be dealt with presently. 



CAVK PICTOCtKAPHS 



Numerous pictogi'aplis are found al.^o in the caves, so common in the 

 calcareous rocks of the island. The number of these caverns in Porto 

 Rico is very great, but not all of them contain Indian pictures on their 

 walls. In many cases such pictures may once have existed, gradually 

 being covered by stalactitic deposits on the walls or erased by super- 

 ficial erosion. As a rule cave pictograph.s were not cut with the .same 

 care as the river pictographs. from which thej- diii'er also in size, 

 shape, and apparently in significance. The liotryoidal forms taken by 

 many of the stalactites lend themselves to relief carving which clearly 

 is often combined with surface cutting, affording forms intermediate 

 between pictographs, or cuttings on tlat surfaces, and sculptures. 

 Man}' of these cave pictographs are found in places not now readily 

 accessible; others occur on slabs of rock which lie on the cave floor. 



The Cueva de las Golondrinas ("cave of the swallows") near Manati, 

 and El Consejo ("the council house'') near Arecibo, are typical locali- 

 ties for the study of cave pictography. The walls of the former cave 

 are covered with a sticky, greenish-black substance which had par- 

 tially concealed some of the pictographs, but others of large size and 

 good workmanship were quite readily seen. The fallen bowlders at 

 the back of the cave also had good pictographs cut upon them. More 

 than ten rock carvings on the walls were counted, and there were 

 others which were undoubtedly obscured by the covering that had 

 been deposited over the walls. The more striking pictographs from 

 this cave are the following: 



One, about 8 inches in diameter, incised about breast-high on a rock 

 which had fallen from the roof. A slab of stone bearing this picture 

 was cut out, but on account of its great weight it was not brought 

 away. 



Plate Lx, pt 2, y, represents one of the best of all the pictographs in 

 this cave. It measures about 18 inches in diameter, and was cut on the 

 projecting front of a fallen bowlder, making the face very prominent. 

 The body is represented by parallel lines. 



Illustration /■ represents a pittograph about a foot long, consisting 

 of head and body, with legs iij^pearing on each side folded to the body. 

 Like some of the river pictographs near Utuado. it has two horns or 

 anterior appendages, one on each side of the head. This figure recalls 

 the outline of small stone amulets from Porto Rico and Santo Domingo, 



