68 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 65 



of which are cut grooves for the four fingers and thumb of the 

 right hand. A large " holed stone " in the shape of a barrel, found 

 near Oldtown, is a unique form (fig. 74) from the Southwest. One 

 end of this is covered with shallow pits similar to those found on 

 slabs of rocks from other ruins. The use of this stone is unknown, 

 but, like similar holed stones from Mexico, it may have served in the 

 ball game called pelota. 



Fig. 71. — Geometrical design. U. S. National Museum. 



A number of facts were observed in the course of these studies 

 suggesting the probable causes of the abandonment of the pre- 

 historic settlements south of Deming, where the majority of 

 specimens were found. Until a few years ago, the Antelope Valley, 

 except in its northern part or that occupied by the Mimbres, was 

 a desert, capable of supplying water sufficient for stock but hardly 

 adequate to meet the needs of any considerable human population. 

 Notwithstanding this inadequacy of the water supply there is evi- 



