66 A. Bea— Tre-histcric Burial-places in Southern India. [No. 2, 
Fig. 58, serai-egg-shaped cup, similar to Figs. 23, 36 and 3d ; 4-| 
inches in diameter, 4 inches deep ; colour, black and red. 
Fig. 59, double-moulded ring stand, with necking between the i-itigs 
pierced through ; 4|- inches in diameter, 2f inches deep ; colour, black. 
The surfaces are all smooth, black and glazed, with the exception of the 
under inner surface, which has been left rough, and wants the glaze. 
Fig. 60, Do. Do., but larger, with the ring opening wider, 5^ inches 
in diameter and 2y inches deep ’; colour, black. 
Fig. 61, Do. Do., 6| inches in diameter, 2f inches deep ; colour, 
black. 
The two preceding articles are complete examples of the fragments, 
Fisfs. 2 and 5. 
One striking peculiarity in all these articles is the surface glaze, if 
it might be so called. It might be more properly described as a gloss, 
as it has little or no hardness or brittleness, but has more the appear¬ 
ance of polish on wood-work or horn. It might be the result of some 
organic matter in the clay, or probably may have been put on the sur¬ 
face only. This latter hypothesis finds credence for instance in Fig. 59, 
where the material is black throughout. The portions intended to be 
seen when the vessel was in use, i. e., the top and exterior, are smooth 
and glazed, while the bottom side has been left rough by the potter, and 
is unglazed. In one fragment, the outside is the usual black and red 
glaze, while the inside is dull black. A slight portion of the inner upper 
surface has the glaze, and it has exactly the streaked appearance of 
having been laid on with a brush or rubbed with some material till 
polished,—almost certainly the latter. Had the glaze been caused by 
some material in the clay, it would have appeared equally on all sides. 
I showed one of these to Dr. Wilson, of the Presidency College, who 
thought it was not a true glaze. One other peculiarity is the difference 
in colour of material in the same vessel. One fragment shews this per¬ 
fectly—the black, the full thickness at the top, tapering down towards 
the bottom centre of the inside, where its thickness is a mere line; 
•while the red is thickest on the bottom, thinning up the outside, till it 
fades into the black at two-thirds of the height, (see plate X, fig. 6 ). 
This maybe due to different clays, but it would be difficult to run the one 
into the other as shown on the section. If different, the red clay 
would be first turned on the wheel, the black afterwards gradually added 
to the upper surfaces. The most probable hypothesis, however, is, that 
there is simply the one clay, and the different colours are due to the 
degree of heat applied in the burning. In the large terra cotta images 
so common in certain districts, the material used in burning was straw * 
with this they were stuffed, and the fire applied left the inside a perfect 
