190 THE ABORIGINES OF PORTO RICO [etii. Ann. 25 



<aiuoiig' the finest West Indian ware tliat has j'et come to tlic Smith- 

 sonian Institution. While in their general character and relief deco- 

 rations, these bowls or vases are not far removed from the Porto Kican, 

 thej' have a specialized form that is distinctive and readih' recognized. 

 Plate Lxxxiv contains several heads made of claj' covered with what 

 appears to be a superficial slip or pigment which becomes red in firing. 

 The vessels of which the_y were relief decorations must have have been 

 exceptionally tine ones, but no complete bowl was ol)tained from the 

 island of Grenada or from Carriacou. 



The geographical position of Trinidad — its contiguity to the main- 

 land — links its fauna and flora to those of South America. There can 

 be little doubt that the prehistoric culture of this island was identical 

 with that of the banlvs of the Orinoco. Moreover. Trinidad, known 

 to the natives as the "land of the humming bird," was the gateway of 

 prehistoric migi'ations from South America to the Antilles. Archeo- 

 logical evidences of the character of human culture on tliis island in 

 prehistoric times are particularly important. 



There are several l)eautiful specimens of Trinidad pottery in the 

 Victoria Institute at Port of Spain, two of which, through the kind- 

 ness of the officers of that institution, were photographed and have 

 been reproduced in plate lxxxv. These specimens are thus described 

 in the appendix to Collens's Guide to Trinidad:" 



The discovery of some interesting Indian relics at Erin during tlie past month 

 [May, 1888] is, although I had brought my work to an end, of sufficient importance 

 to demand a brief notice. On the occasion of a recent visit of His Excellency Sir W. 

 Robinson and suite to the southern quarter of the island, the Hon. H. Fowler, who 

 was one of the party, observed a mound of shells. Dismounting, a closer inspection 

 revealed some pieces of rude jiottery, and subsequent excavations by Mr A. Newsam, 

 the warden, led to the unearthing of some capital specimens, indicating beyond a 

 doulit this had been the center, at some jieriod more or less remote, of an Indian 

 settlement. 



The pottery is of two kinds, glazed and unglazed, the latter dating back to a time 

 anterior to the discovery of the New World, for the art of glazing was imknown to 

 the early Indians, nor is it likely that they became acquainted with it after the 

 Spanish occupation. 



Mr. Fowler has very kindly placed at my disposal plate i, and I gladly publish it 

 in my guide, as it may be of assistance in future investigations in Trinidad. I may 

 add that Mr. Fowler himself collected in Honduras the objects depicted in plate i, 

 and they indeed form the groundwork of a paper read before the Archreological 

 Society in London by Gen. Sir H. Lefroy, R. A., F. R. S., on the 3d of May, 1888. 



The explanation of the plate in CoUens's Guide containing one of 

 the objects photographed by the author (see also accompanying plate 

 LXXXV, b, //, 5"), is also instructive regarding the likeness of Trinidad 

 aboriginal pottery to the Porto Rican. The illustrations that appear 

 on the former plate are accompanied by the following explanation: 



Figure 1. A hollow stone, smooth in the concave part, forming a rude mortar. 

 The Indians used a hard smooth pestle for pounding their seeds and grains. 



n London. 1888. 



