; not far distant from 'The
Narrows' and the 'Ringing Rocks.' Yes, Mary, my memory goes back to
the time when the McEntee pottery was a flourishing industry, operated
by three brothers, John, Patrick and Michael. When last I visited them
but few landmarks remained."

"Was there a pottery on your father's farm, Aunt Sarah?" inquired
Mary.

"No. The nearest one was the McEntee pottery, but the grandson of the
old man who purchased our old farm at my father's death had a limekiln
for the purpose of burning lime, and several miles distant, at the
home of my uncle, was found clay suitable for the manufacture of
bricks. Only a few years ago this plant was still in operation. My
father's farm was situated in the upper part of Bucks County, in what
was then known as the Nockamixon Swamp, and at one time there were in
that neighborhood no less than seven potteries within two miles of
each other."

"Why," exclaimed Mary, "were there so many potteries in that
locality?"

"'Twas due, no doubt, to the large deposits of clay found there, well
suited to the manufacture of earthenware. The soil is a clayey loam,
underlaid with potter's clay. The old German potters, on coming to
this country, settled mostly in Eastern Pennsylvania, in the counties
of Bucks and Montgomery. The numerous small potteries erected by the
early settlers were for the manufacture of earthenware dishes, also
pots of graded sizes. These were called nests, and were used
principally on the farm for holding milk, cream and apple-butter. Jugs
and pie plates were also manufactured. The plates were visually quite
plain, but they produced occasionally plates decorated with
conventionalized tulips, and some, more elaborate, contained besides
figures of animals, birds and flowers. Marginal inscriptions in
English and German decorate many of the old plates, from which may be
learned many interesting facts concerning the life and habits of the
early settlers. I think, judging from the inscriptions I have seen on
some old plates, it must have taxed the ingenuity of the old German
potters to think up odd, original inscriptions for their plates."

"Aunt Sarah, how was sgraffito ware made? Is it the same as
slip-decorated pottery?"

"No, my dear, the two are quite different. The large plate you so
greatly admired is called sgraffito or scratched work, sometimes
called slip engraving. It usually consists of dark designs on a
cream-colored ground. After the plates had bee