HOLMES] POTTERY OF THE ST .ToHNS, FLORIDA 123 



Mexican origin would sccni to tjc proved by the fact that it does 

 not occur west of ^Mobile bay. It is no doulit related to if not 

 derived from the art of eniljellishing the vessels liy impressing t(^xtile 

 fabrics upon their plastic surfaces, practiced so extensively in the 

 North. Mr Cushing expresses the idea, originating with his San 

 Slarco work." that the use of wooden tools in which the grain of the 

 wood gave rise to decorati\-e surface markings might ha\'e led to the 

 making of iigured stamps or modeling paddles, but this idea requires 

 confirmation. I have observed that some of the more ela1)orate 

 stamped patterns emploj-ed are closely akin to designs used Ijy ancient 

 wood carvers and sculptors of the Antilles, thus suggesting some kind 

 of connection between Florida and the islands.'' 



The ware of the St Johns shows the very common use of a modeling 

 paddle the face of which was carved in checker patterns, consisting 

 of shallow "Tooves crossing generallv at rig-ht angles and numbering 

 from five to twelve to the inch. Examples are shown in plate lxxxv. 

 Occasionallj' we encounter more elaborate and artistic designs, such as 

 pre\-ail in the Ajjpalachian province on the north. Various examples 

 from the St Johns are ))rought together in plates LXXX^■I, lxxxvii, and 

 LXXXA^iii. It would appear that the stamp paddle was not in use dur- 

 ing the earlier stages of pottery making in Florida. According to 

 Mr Moore the stamped ware occurs less frequently as we descend 

 into tlie midden deposits, rarely appearing at any considerable depth. 



ENGRA^'ED WARE OE THE ST JOHNS 



The St Johns furnishes occasional specimens of ware of excellent 

 make, seemingly not akin to the common pottery of the region, 

 although apparently intimately associated with it in Inirial. An 

 example is presented in plate Lxxxixa. It is a well-modeled glo])ular 

 bowl from a mound in Duval count}', is 10 inches in diameter, and is 

 tastefully ornamented with representations of a Ijird, probably the duck. 

 The head of the bird is modeled in relief on opposite sides of the vessel. 

 The bill points upward, and the wings, depicted in simple incised lines, 

 extend around the upper part of the ))ody of the vessel. A sketch 

 of one of the heads appears in li. The duck is a prominent feature in 

 the embellishment of Florida wares, but in many cases the forms are 

 so highly conventionalized that only those who have traced the duck 

 motive down from more realistic delineations can do more than guess 

 at the original. An example of conventional duck design is presented 

 in plate xcr^r. An ecjually conventional treatment, possibly of the 

 vulture, appears in Tj. Other examples of this class are referi'ed to in 

 describing the potterj^ of western Florida. Much of the mortuary and 

 midden ware is decorated with incised work, always carelessly executed. 



"Cashing, F. H., Exploration of ancionl key-dweller remains, Proceedings American Philosophical 

 Society, vol. XXXV, p. 74. 



t Holmes, \V. H., Caribbean influence on the prehistoric ceramic art of the southern states, .\merieati 

 Anthropologist, January, 1894, p. 71. 



