84 ABORIGINAL POTTERY OF EASTERN UNITED STATES [eth.ann.20 



distinctive of the iiroup iiuiy )je noted. It is observed that tiie paste 

 varies in coloi' from a light yellowish gray to dark grays and browns. 

 The light colors were used in vases to be decorated in color. The 

 paste is never vitreous, but is often well baked, firm, and tenacious. 

 Now and then a specimen is discovered that seems to have been .sun-dried 

 only, disintegrating readily in water. It is not unusual to find examples 

 of vessels whose paste is (juite porous and of low specific gravity. 

 This may Ije due partly to the use of combustible tempering matter or 

 to the decay of portions of the pulverized shell tempering. As a rule 

 the va.ses are of medium or heavy weight, and in some cases the walls 

 are quite thick, especially in the tall bottles. 



In the better ware tempering materials were finely pulverized or 

 were used in comparatively small (juaiitity. Coarse shell was used in 

 the ruder forms of domestic ware and for the so-called .salt ves.sels. 

 Fragments of shell fully an inch in greatest dimension have been 

 ob.served in the latter ware. In exceptional cases, especially on the 

 outskirts of the area covered by the group, powdered quartz, mica, 

 and other minerals in large and sharp grains are observed. The paste 

 was manipulated after the fashion already indicated in the introductory' 

 pages, and the firing was conducted, no doubt, in the usual primitive 

 ways. Traces of pottery kilns within the district have Ijeen reported, 

 but sufficient particulai's have not been given to enable us to form a 

 definite notion of their character. 



Surface Finish 



The finish, as compared with the work of civilized nations, is crude. 

 The surface was often simph' hand-smoothed, while in cases it was 

 scarified or roughened by the finger nails or by modeling tools. Gen- 

 erally, however, it M'as more or less carefully polished by rubliing 

 with an implement of stone, .shell, bone, or other suitable luaterial, 

 the markings of these tools being distinctly visible. There is no rea- 

 son for supposing that glazing was understood, although pieces having 

 partially vitrified surfaces are occasionally found. The surface was 

 often washed with a film of fine light-colored clay, which facilitated 

 the polishing, and in many cases a coat of thick red ocher was applied; 

 this also was polished down. The comparatively rare occurrence of 

 textile finish in the better wares may be due in a measure to the pref- 

 erence for polished or painted surfaces, in producing which original 

 texturings were necessarily obliterated, liut it is also probable that 

 these potters had risen above the decidedly primitive textile stage 

 of the art. 



C'OLOK 



As has been indicated, the paste of this ware, presents two marked 

 varieties of color a dark hue, ranging from a rich black to all shades 

 of brown and gray, and a lighter series of tints comprising warm 



