CERTAIN MOUNDS OF ARKANSAS AND OF MISSISSIPPI. 485 
Another mass of red contained a moderate percentage of ferric oxide with 
quartz and clay, forming a light red. Doubtless admixture of white clay with the 
red oxide formed the various shades of cream and of pink used in decorating 
the pottery. 
The white masses from the several localities are almost pure kaolin and doubt- 
less are the same as the white material used on the vessels. 
The Tarahumare Indians of Mexico use a white earth in the decoration of 
pottery, and Pueblo Indians of southwestern United States used kaolin on their 
ware.? 
The black coloring matter occasionally found on the vessels of the lower 
Arkansas, seems to be hardly more than a stain, and does not lie on the vessels in 
à coating as do the ferric oxide and the clay. We have not been able to obtain 
enough of this material to make an analysis. 
The painted decoration, which is almost invariably on yellow or yellow-red 
ware, oflers but little variety. Іп a majority of cases we find a solid coating of 
red, sometimes rich in shade and carefully polished. 
When designs are attempted, there is great repetition. ОҒ the fifteen bottles 
found by us on the Arkansas river, decorated in red and white, but four have 
designs other than almost exactly similar partly-interlocked scrolls; and two of 
these four have seroll-decoration nearly related to that of the majority of the bottles. 
The contrast between the monotony of design on the painted vessels of this region 
and the great variety on those of southwestern United States is marked indeed. 
In the case of at least some of the bottles from the lower Arkansas, with dec- 
oration of white and of red pigment, it seems as if first of all a slip, or coating, of 
red had been placed over the entire bottle, and that the white of the painted design 
had been laid on top of the red. In places, also, to define the design, the red has 
been scraped away, leaving the yellow of the ware in which, however, traces of 
the red slip still remain. 
The decoration on the dark ware of the lower Arkansas has been conferred, 
as a rule, by means of a method explained by Professor Holmes, that 1s, by trail- 
ing a broad point along the clay before firing. 
The incised design, properly speaking, is rarely found and is seldom other than 
of inferior execution, while engraved decoration, made with a fine point, is more 
unusual still. Several excellent examples of these forms were met with by us, 
however. 
Of the trailed decoration we can say, as we have said of the painted designs, 
that there is great repetition. Some idea of the extent to which this repetition 
was carried may be gathered from the fact that in one cemetery on the Arkansas 
we found thirty-two bottles and bowls, all bearing very closely related scroll-designs 
formed by combinations of trailed, broad lines. 
! Carl Lumholtz, * Unknown Mexico,” Vol. I, p 
243. 
> Walter Hough, ‘ * Archeological F eld W өті E n Northeastern Arizona." Smithsonian Report, 
1901, p. 315. 
