THE WHITE LINE GROUP. 103 



There is a row of white spots on both sides of each group of white lines, the 

 spots however seldom touching the lines. This again is the dorsal-view motive 

 derived from the alligator, the lines and spots representing the rows of spines and 

 the scales on the animal's back. This motive is described in a subsequent chapter. 

 Each leg is marked transversely by three parallel white lines, suggesting the 

 carapace motive of the armadillo. Sooty incrustations cover the lower half of the 

 outer surface of this tripod. 



A small tripod from Bugavita (fig. 178 a) presents some remarkable features in 

 the way of decoration, suggesting that the ancient Chiriquians might have made 

 use of a hieroglyphic or phonetic system of writing. This tripod differs from the 

 preceding in having a rounded recurved rim. The inner surface of the orifice 

 and the bottom are painted red. The rest of the outer surface, including the legs, 

 is finished in a warm reddish gray slip. The legs are provided with a head and 

 ears in relief that remind one of the characteristic armadillo attitude. 



The white line decorations on the shoulder of the vessel are arranged in three 

 groups, certain symbols being repeated in each. These can be studied to better 

 advantage in the tracings, which show the whole series at a glance (fig. 178 b). 

 Reading from left to right the first symbol is not unlike a lower-case d ; the second 



Fig. 1786. — Detail of shoulder ornamentation on figure 178 a. White line ware. V" 



may be compared to a capital I, and the third to a capital B. The second group 

 begins in the same way with the d, the top of which, however, is connected with 

 the base of the succeeding J by a stroke of the brush that has no counterpart 

 in the first group. The last symbol is slightly damaged at the base, but is 

 evidently the initial d symbol inverted. With one or two minor exceptions, the 

 third group is the negative of the second. The stroke, for example, that is carried 

 downward from the top of the negative d does not connect with the base of 

 the I, and there is a slight break in the loop of the remaining symbol. The 

 resemblance of these symbols to certain letters of our alphabet is of course 

 fortuitous. 



The white line ware resembles a certain type of Costa Rican pottery more 

 closely than it does any group of Chiriquian pottery. The fact that comparatively 

 few specimens of the white line ware have been found in Chiriquian graves is 

 another reason for supposing them to be importations. 



THE LOST COLOR GROUP. 



In point of numbers the lost color group ranks next to the armadillo group. 

 Its chief distinguishing feature, as the name given by Holmes implies, is the 

 method by which the decorative motives are produced in color, or rather b}^ the 

 removal of coloring matter. Aside from this universal character, the vessels present 



