we may safely conclude that aboriginal ceramic art will have disappeared forever in this section before the rapid march of civilization, within the space of a few more years. The railroad which has, during the last few months, penetrated into hitherto isolated sections of the West, inhabited by the modern Pueblo tribes, has carried away the greater portion of the native household wares, and the limited amount of pottery which is still being produced, is made in a hasty and superficial manner for sale to curiosity hunters. It will not be long ere metal utensils will supersede the fictile vessels of the natives, and specimens of earthen-ware which were made a few years ago will increase in rarity and value, which will be enhanced as the art becomes entirely obsolete.

The Tenth Annual Report of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, in charge of Dr. F. V. Hayden, containing several full-page lithographic plates of Pueblo pottery, has drawn considerable attention to this interesting ware. A large number of examples sent to me at various times during the past two years, however, shows more satisfactorily the great diversity of form which eminently characterizes the modern productions. Pottery is still made in the majority of the twenty Pueblo towns of New Mexico and the seven Moqui villages of Arizona. The ware produced in the different pueblos varies considerably, however, in quality and style. That made in Zuñi is probably most prolific in animal forms, whilst some of the finest workmanship is displayed in specimens fashioned at the pueblos of Acoma and Cochite. Water bottles made in imitation of birds, such as hawks and owls, are common at Zuñi, while domesticated fowls, such as ducks and hens, are favorite representations at Laguna and Jemez. Vessels shaped after models of mammals are not so numerous in any of the Pueblo villages, but there are not wanting specimens representing rams, goats, sheep, bears, cats, dogs and even a few in imitation of the human form. Indeed the Pueblo potters seem to have copied in clay every object which was familiar to them, and their pottery seems to have surpassed the ancient Peruvian huacas in the diversity of form. Specimens made especially for the eastern market, consist of cream pitchers, cups and saucers, miniature boats, figurines and imitations of an endless variety of objects of European manufacture, but these are comparatively worthless as examples of aboriginal art. I am indebted to the Rev. John Menaul, of Laguna, Dr. T. F. Ealy, of

Zuñi, and Dr. J. M. Shields, of Jemez, New Mexico, for a large number of characteristic and interesting specimens of modern ware from several of the Pueblo villages. Some of these examples have been in constant use as household utensils for a score of years, and represent the Indian art in its original purity. These vessels vary from three inches to two feet in diameter, the commonest form being a sphere surmounted by a short, broad cylindrical mouth. One of the finer specimens is an olla or meal bowl from Laguna, thirteen inches in diameter and eight in height, the body of which is ornamented with geometrical designs and conventional bird-shaped figures, while the shoulder or expanded neck is decorated with paintings of the elk or deer. This animal fig

ures largely on much of the Pueblo pottery, and is often found on the Laguna jars. It is characterized by an exceedingly large head, thin small body and attenuated legs, with a passage extending from the mouth to the heart, which is usually triangular. The latter is generally colored red, though sometimes brown or black. A particularly interesting pot, or teneha, as it is called, possessing a capacity of three or four gallons, had been in use in the tribe for upwards of twenty years. Its value consists in the peculiarity of its ornamentation, being covered with paintings of serpents and conventional devices. It is difficult now to procure such pieces with representations of snakes, frogs, the sun and moon, as, according to Mr. Menaul, the priests monopolize these symbols and discourage the people from employing them. In

olden times all of the paintings on their pottery possessed some significance. Tenehas are made of all sizes, varying from specimens an inch in diameter to those that will hold twenty or thirty gallons. The majority of the larger vessels possess concave bottoms for steadying on the head in carrying water from the well,

A common form is the canteen-shaped vessel, being made, in some localities, spherical, with a small bottle mouth. In the Moqui towns these are flattened on one side so as to be adapted for carrying upon the back. They are supported by woolen bands which are passed through the vertical ear-shaped handles and over the forehead of the water bearer. A large proportion of the imitative forms rep

resent birds, and are designed for household ornaments or for carrying water on journeys. A characteristic feature in the bird vessels of Laguna is a broad, short, ascending tail with a perforation for suspension when not in use. One of these vessels, which I have in my possession, is a water bottle or duck, the only opening passing through the bill. This specimen measures six and a half inches in length, and is decorated in brown, buff and red colors on a pure white ground. Another example represents a sitting hen, the body being inflated and almost spherical, surmounted by a very small head with beak curving upward. The

orifice is in the top of the cranium. The oldest bird-shaped vessel in the collection is represented in figure I, and is a fine sample of Jemez workmanship. It is six inches long, the opening being in the head. From the animal forms I have selected a specimen probably intended to represent the deer. The original is twelve inches from nose to tail, with an aperture just back of the ears (figure 2). In addition to the ordinary colors the back is decorated with three triangular patches of bright green paint, which

is rare in Pueblo pottery, and has, without doubt, been recently introduced by traders. Specimens from Zia are generally of ruder workmanship, but present the same characteristics as those from the other towns. A large basin from Cochite, twenty inches in diameter, used for mixing bread in, is the finest example of Pueblo ware I have ever seen; the exterior surface is decorated with geometrical designs, while the interior is elaborately and profusely ornamented with animal figures representing elk, deer and wild turkeys, in black. The clay which composes the specimen is of a very fine, compact texture, and is covered with a luster closely resembling that seen upon many of the ancient Grecian

urns.

As has been previously stated, vessels are now rarely made in imitation of the human form, and ancient pieces of this shape have never been found. Figure 3 illustrates a modern water bottle, six and a quarter inches in height, from Laguna. It represents a woman carrying an infant. Attached to her left side is a basket or bag in which her hand is thrust. The mouth of the vessel is in the back of the head. It would be tedious to extend our descriptions of modern forms. Suffice it to say that vessels have been molded into every shape that fancy could suggest or ingenuity devise. For the greater part the women are the potters, and their delicacy of touch and keen perception of beauty, enable them to produce many things which are worthy of a place with other ornaments in our cultivated homes.

The clay used in the manufacture of the Laguna pottery is of a dark-slate color, and exceedingly compact, oftentimes approaching soft rock in texture. It occurs in seams or veins in the mesa walls. The Indians in order to procure a good quality usually dig into the rock for some distance. There are many grades of this clay, and a variety of colors, the best sorts naturally producing the finer wares. It is prepared for use by first soaking in water for two or three days, when it becomes plastic and easily worked. It is then kneaded with the hands and all the hard lumps extracted, after which it is worked with the feet on a large flat stone, until it resembles a mass of dark colored wax. Old potsherds are also ground up and mixed with the clay in making new vessels. From this paste vessels of various forms are molded and set aside to dry.

The decoration consists of black, brown, red or buff designs