CERTAIN ABORIGINAL REMAINS OF THE NW. FLORIDA COAST. 293 



which is sometimes depicted in aboriginal art, ' yet, as Ave have stated, Professor 

 Holmes has shown that the aborigines were not always consistent in their decora- 

 tions. Hence the bird symbol in this case may have been used as an ornament 

 solely. In the former part of this report, we spoke of the reverence shown the rattle- 

 snake by Florida Indians, as recounted by William Bartram, and cited the statement 

 by Captain Romans, Avhen writing on Florida, that he had never seen a savage 

 wittingly injure a snake. Adair speaks of the veneration of southern Indians for 

 the serpent and we are told how the aborigines of the St. Johns river, Florida, 

 treated with every mark of respect the head of a serpent cut off by a soldier of de 



Gourgues. - 



Fig. 263.— Vessel No. 16. Decoration. 

 Hall mound. (Half size.) 



Fig. 260.— Vessel No. 16. Hall mound. (Half size.) 



Vessel No. 16. — A quadrilateral cup with rounded corners and curved rim. 

 Part of the base, which has been flat, is missing (Fig. 262). The decoration shown 

 in the half-tone is uniform throughout, save at one place, where a species of trefoil 

 occurs (diagram, Fig. 263). 



Vessel No. 17. — A vase of about six quarts capacity, of excellent yellow ware, 

 having a carefully executed incised decoration as shown in Fig. 264. On the rim are 

 four projections, perhaps rudimentary effigy-handles. 



Vessel No. 20. — Another example of ready-made mortuary ware of the usual 

 half-baked clay. In form the vessel is an inverted truncated cone having above it 

 an effigy of a horned owl. The wings, broken in parts, when found, have been 

 cemented, with missing portions restored. There are a ready-made perforation of 

 base and triangular openings at various places in the body of the vessel (Figs. 265, 

 266). 



Vessel No. 26. — This vessel, with imperforate flat base, fell with caving sand. In 

 form the vessel is a truncated pyramid inverted. The rim, which has slight incised 



' Two superb e.xamples of the highly couventionalized plumed serpent were found by us 

 engraved on vessels in a mound in Cooper's field, not far from Darien, Ga., and are described in our 

 " Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Georgia Coast." 



- " La Reprime de la Floride," par le Capitaiiie Gourgues. Cited by Brinton. 



