OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. LXLII 



vessels had been built. They had been generally applied to 

 the surface of the vessels, sometimes covering the entire exte- 

 rior and sometimes only the body or parts of it. The inte- 

 rior surface was occasionally subjected to similar application. 

 The impressions left in the soft clay, remaining after the proc- 

 ess of burning or drying, permanently preserved evidence of 

 the nature and details of texture of the fabrics used, and from 

 these impressions Mr. Holmes, with minute precision and cer- 

 tainty, exhibits illustrations and descriptions of the ancient tex- 

 tile art. The various methods of fabrication were in all cases 

 verified through the assistance of Miss Kate C. Osgood, em- 

 ployed in the Bureau, who successfully reproduced in cord 

 by simple appliances all the varieties that had been discovered 

 and portrayed by the author's artistic skill. 



The forms are presented in clearly arranged groups, their 

 geographic distribution being noted, with comparisons of simi- 

 lar fabrics, ancient and modern, found in several parts of the 

 world. The extent to which the marks at first produced by 

 the requirements of construction became evolved into orna- 

 mentation is also discussed. 



An important deduction made by Mr. Holmes from this dis- 

 covery is that the illustrated and described work of the people 

 who built the mounds, though varied and ingenious, shows 

 that none of its characteristics were, in execution or desiarn, 

 superior to or specifically different from the work of the his- 

 toric and modern Indian. This eliminates one more source of 

 error cherished by lovers of the mysterious to establish and 

 exalt a supposed race of " Mound Builders." 



CATALOGUE OF COLLECTIONS MADE DURING THE FIELD 

 SEASON OF 1881, BYT WILLIAM H. HOLMES. 



This catalogue notes the most important portions of the ob- 

 jects collected during the year from mounds and other places 

 of deposit, not including those from New Mexico and Arizona. 

 Its primary classification is by locality with material as sec- 

 ondary. The localities represented are chiefly in North Caro- 

 lina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ohio, Oregon, Kentucky, and Mis- 

 souri. The materials are stone, pottery, clay, shell, metal, 



