THE ARMADILLO GROUP. 



69 



of the animals however — many of them being from four to six inches in breadth 

 — sufficiently attests their mature growth in more favourable circumstances. After 

 a night of rain the streets are almost covered with them, and it is impossible to 

 walk without crushing some." 



The armadillo and the frog by no means mono- 

 polized the attention of the makers of this biscuit 

 or armadillo ware. Many of their efforts cannot be 

 referred definitely to any particular genus. Some are 

 droll, some fantastic, all are interesting. Figures 102 

 to 104 give some indication of the resourcefulness 

 of the potter in posing his figures. Flat-bottomed 

 vessels are. exceedingly rare in the armadillo group, 

 there being but a single example in the Yale collec- 

 tion (fig. 105). 



The distinctively human form is not often met with 

 and is, as a rule, not executed so satisfactorily as 

 are the forms of many of the lower animals. This 

 holds true for the painted as well as the unpainted 

 ware. It is often difficult to distinguish that intended 

 for man from that designed for monkey. The most 



characteristic feature of the human head is the flattening between the frontal 

 protuberances and the occiput. This character is well illustrated in figure 106, 



Fig. 105. — Unique flat-bottomed 

 Armadillo ware. V 3 



Fig. 106. — Vase with handles represented by 

 the human figure. Armadillo ware. '/" 



Fig. 107. — Small vase with anthropomorphic shoulder orna- 

 ments ; neck decorated with carapace meander combined 

 with foot symbols. Armadillo ware. '/> 



where the standing human form takes the place of the ascending ramus of the 

 ordinary flattened paired handles. The human form as a shoulder ornament also 

 appears in figure 107. The neck of this small vase is decorated with a carapace 

 meander and a foot motive as an accompaniment. 



A variety of plastic shoulder ornaments are grouped together in Plate XV, which 



