oe 
32 REVIEWS AND BOOK NOTICES. ; 
earthen vessels of the prehistoric period of the old world. We 
have specimens from Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Illinois 
Ohio, Tennessee and Florida. It is an interesting fact th at, while 
every trace of the cords and woven textures made by the mound- 
builders has perished, we have impressions or casts of the first left 
with sufficient distinctness on their earthen vessels to determine 
the style of twisting and the sree of strands, and of the second 
to ascertain, in some cases, at least, the manner in which the cords 
were interwoven. By means described further on, the exact struc- 
ture of the impressing surface has been reproduced. The explana- 
tion usually given of these markings is that the vessels have been 
moulded in a net, which was used to support the soft clay while 
the process of manufacture was going on. That vessels, especially 
larger Ones, were moulded in baskets, and these destroyed im the 
burning, there is an abundance of evidence, as set forth in Mr. 
Rau’s interesting paper on the pottery making of the North Amer- 
ican Indians in the Smithsonian Report for 1866. This is a point 
about which there is scarcely any liability to error. But there 
is a great difference between moulding a vase in a firm and steady 
structure like a basket, and a yielding, fiexible one, like a net. 
None of the specimens we have t s far received show that a 
net, if by net is understood a str ten ad of meshes made by 
n 
of a knot is to be found anywhere. It would have been if a any 
existed, as we have shown experimentally. The impressions are, 
in all cases, either of a woven texture or else of cords neither knot- 
d nor woven but probably wound about some body, and in this 
form used asa stamp. By making casts of the surface of the cord- 
marked vessels with gutta percha, we have reproduced the original 
details of the impressing surface, which show very clearly the 
above differences. The textures are of two kinds, one with and 
the other without open meshes. The first are formed by a series 
of parallel cords or warps, intersected by a second series of par- 
al lel RAA crossing the first at right angles, but including one of 
in every twist of its strands. The laborious process was 
therefore required of passing the two strands of which the second 
rd is made above and below the first cord, and then twisting 
them before passing to the next. The texture with closed meshes 
is handsomely woven, and in one instance of threads not exceeding 
= a of an inch in diameter. Unfortunately, none of the 
sels bearing markings of a woven texture are entire, so that it 
is ie inipossibla to ascertain whether the impressions are distributed 
in a uniform manner over the whole surface. It seems incredible 
make the necessary quantity of well aiie cord or thread, and 
-weave it into shape for the mere purpose of serving as a mould, 
which must be destroyed in the making of a angie copy. It = 
; h bodies mo 
OTT un that the vessels are all made wi 
