THE ALLIGATOR GROUP. 



149 



hollow head in front of the ear-tufts and somewhat nearer the median plane, making 

 it possible to tie the head fast to the neck and if need be to suspend the com- 

 pleted bird form. The highly polished cream-colored slip on the throat, neck 

 and body is nowhere marked by delineating colors. 



A similar, and in some respects superior, type is reproduced in figure 249 a. 

 The beautifully turned body is somewhat longer than broad and thus just fails 

 of being a spheroid. The tail, beak 

 and the ear-tufts are longer; and the 

 wings are in higher relief, their tips 

 uniting in a median plane over the 

 base of the tail ; the carpal angles stand 

 out prominently. The long sharply 

 curved beak has been broken at the end. 

 The eyes as in the foregoing are in 

 rather low relief and outlined in black 

 paint. There is a similar set of holes 

 at the base of the neck and in the top 

 of the head. Three short toes are in- 

 dicated on each foot. The flat sole is 

 pierced by a hole that extends vertically 

 upward for a distance of 15 millimeters 

 into the short solid leg. On the 

 contrary, the rather long legs of the 

 preceding figure were hollow and slit 

 vertically on the inside. 



The paste in all these bird forms is 

 alike — a deep red, in which the white 

 grains of the tempering material are 

 more or less conspicuous. The slip is 

 a light cream. The latter, in the spec- 

 imen under consideration, is not quite 

 adhesive enough to hold firmly the 

 delineating colors, the result being that 

 the decoration on the head, wings, feet 

 and upper surface of the tail is marred 

 by the scaling off of the paint. Here 

 again black is the chief delineating color, 

 the characteristic alligator motive being 

 executed in it alone; while the red was 



used for masses and filling in. The design in black on the wings is the dorsal- 

 view alligator motive similar to that on the shoulder of the vase reproduced in 

 figure 230. Practically the same motive is found on the head and upper surface 

 of the tail. 



The use of these bird forms with removable heads is problematical. The 

 broad fiat feet give comparative stability. On the other hand, they may have 

 been suspended by means of a cord that passed through the four holes in the 



Fig. 250; a. — Vase showing elaborate and highly conven- 

 tionalized use of alligatormotive ;fromDivala. Alligator 

 ware. 'J» ; b. — Panel design on the opposite side. 



