384 CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS, CENTRAL FLORIDA W.-COAST. 



part of a cylindrical vessel (Fig. 18) of excellent ware, bearing an incised design show- 

 ing part of the human hand, remarkable for its boldness of execution. On the back 

 of the hand is a curious figure which many authorities agree is not a known totemic 

 symbol or design of any sort, hitherto met with. Some have suggested its origin 

 from heraldry and hence early European sources, while a still greater number see 

 nothing in the design that suggests other than an aboriginal origin. To us the figure 

 has an aboriginal look, and as nothing of European provenance was met with during 

 our investigation of the mound— and this counts for so much in determinations — 



we believe the symbol to be 

 aboriginal in origin. Other 

 designs, perhaps equally in- 

 teresting, have been on the re- 

 mainder of the vessel, wdiich 

 |'\': ^^^^^^^^^^1 ^ diligent search failed to 



discover. 



Fig. 18.— Slierd. Mound near Crytal river. (Full size.) 



Fig. 19.— Piu-t of earthenware vessel. 

 Mound near Crystal river. (Full 

 size.) 



Throughout the mound 

 were vessels with feet, and 

 parts of vessels indicating the 

 presence of feet when the 

 vessels were whole. There 

 was also found a part of a 

 vessel, showing a human face 

 (Fig. 19). 



A selection of sherds 

 The third from the left hand 



The 



found during the investigation is given in Fig. 20. 



upper corner shows punctate decoration between bands of crimson pigment, 

 sherd in the lower right-hand corner has part of another open hand. 

 We shall describe the vessels in detail. 



