by the sequence
of early remains in the Southwest, that the white and black varieties
of pottery were the first made, then the red and black, and later the
red with white and black decoration. Take, as an example, the latter.
Of course it was a simple mode to employ the red (ocherous) clay for
the wash, the blue clay (which burned white) for the white pigment in
making lines, and any of the black minerals above mentioned for other
marking.

In these earliest kinds of painted pottery the angular decorations of
the corrugated ware or of basketry were repeated, or at the farthest
only elaborated, although on some specimens the suggestions of the
curved ornament already occurred. These resulted, I may not fear to
claim, from carelessness or awkwardness in drawing, for instance, the
corners of acute angles, which, "cutting across-lot" would, it may be
seen, produce the wavy or meandering line from the zigzag, the
ellipsoid from the rectangle, and so on.

Precisely in accordance with this theory were the studies of my
preceptor, the lamented Prof. Charles Fred. Hartt. In a paper "On
Evolution in Ornament," published in several periodicals, among them
the Popular Science Monthly of January, 1875, this gifted naturalist
illustrated his studies by actual examples found on decorated burial
urns from Marajo Island. I must take the liberty of suggesting,
however, that upon some antecedent kind of vessel, the eyes of the
Amazonian Islanders may have been, to give Professor Hartt's idea,
"trained to take physiological and aesthetic delight in regularly
recurring lines and dots"; not on the pottery itself, as he seemed to
think, for decoration was old in basketry and the textiles when
pottery was first made.

DECORATIVE SYMBOLISM.

[Illustration: FIG. 545.--Food-bowl. FIG. 546.--Water-jar.
(Showing open or joined space in line near rim.)]

On every class of food- and water-vessels, in collections of both
ancient and modern Pueblo pottery (except, it is important to note, on
pitchers and some sacred receptacles), it may be observed as a
singular, yet almost constant feature, that encircling lines, often
even ornamental zones, are left open or not as it were closed at the
ends. (See Figs. 545, _a_, 546, _a_.) This is clearly a conventional
quality and seemingly of intentional significance. An explanation must
be sought in various directions, and once found will be useful in
guiding to an understanding of t