106 ABORIGINAL POTTERY OF EASTEKN U>^ITED STATES [ETn.iNx.ao 



The paste is fine and silicious. witli l)ut little distinguishable temper- 

 ing; its colors are yellowish or brownish graj's, rarel}' approaching 

 blaek, and the surface is even, though seldom very highly polished. 

 The walls are thin and of uniform thickness. Animals and animal 

 features modeled in relief and in the round are attached to the vases 

 or enter into their form in nmch the same manner as in the West, but 

 with less frequency and freedom. They have, however, perhaps a 

 greater interest on account of the peculiar and verj' definite correla- 

 tion of the incised designs on the vases with the modeled life forms. 

 This subject will receive attention separately farther on. The pottery 

 is nearl3' all obtained from burial mounds, and it is observed that the 

 vases in most, if not all, cases have been perforated or broken before 

 consignment to the graves. This custom extended eastward through 

 Georgia and Florida to the Atlantic coast, but it was practically 

 unknown in the North and West. 



The Parsons collection of pottery was obtained from a sand mound 

 on Bear point, Alabama. Nearly all the pieces were broken, but 

 otherwise they were so well preserved that matiy have been restored 

 to much their original appearance under my supervision. Illustrations 

 of a large number of the simpler foi'ms are given in plate liv. 



From shallow bowls we pass to deeper forms and to globular vessels. 

 A few specimens are cylindric, and occasionaly a wide-mouthed bottle 

 is encountered. One specimen has a handle and resembles a ladle iu 

 form. The outlines are generally graceful, the walls thin, and the 

 rims inconspicuous and neat. The incised desig-ns are lightly and 

 freely drawn, and include a wide range of formal figures, from simple 

 groups of straight lines to widely diversified forms of meanders and 

 scrolls. Life-form elements, often obscure, appear in numerous 

 cases. 



In plate lv three of the large bowls are presented. These exhibit 

 characteristic vai"ieties of form, and all are embellished with incised 

 designs embodying life elements which are referred to later on in this 

 section. Plate lvi« is a neat little jar with incised meander and 

 step design from the Bear Point mound. It is also shown in outline 

 in plate liv. In A is introduced a bottle of northern type from Frank- 

 lin county, Mississippi. It is of special interest, since it contiiins a 

 painted design, c, embodying the most prevalent Gulf Coast life-form 

 device, and is, at the same time, nearly duplicated by a similar bottle 

 from near Nashville, Tennessee, illustrated by Thruston in his work, 

 figure 40. Part of plate lvi and plates lvii. lviii. and i.ix are 

 devoted to the presentation of life forms. 



A rather remarkable piece, resembling middle Mississippi forms, is 

 illustratc^l in plate lvi r/. The head of a l)ird, probably intended for 

 au owl, forms the apex of a full-bodied bottle, the funnel-shaped open- 



