The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

| possibly we have here the remains OF
a rattlesnake figure in which the black
points on the spiral represent the
scales and the oblong squares at the
other end, or stem end, the rattles.
Big Jars and bowls in solid black are
fine in shape. Some of the more mod
ern pieces are decorated in red and vol
low and black, showing stays and
bears, parrots or eagles and cocks,
antelopes, flowers, with expanded pc
tails, leaves and stalks, bold, simple
decorations like mountain ranges, or
terracelike squared clouds Here are
modern rattles and a host of curious
dolls manikins. and devilkins made of
cotton and leather, painted and adorn-
ed with feathers and bows. Among the
bowls is one whose decoration In bold
black designs suggests the cuneiform
from the Euphrates on a large scale
design Tor ell the world like the
cuneiform snaps of a fish-though
there is no connection either by i'm
rnigra ton of underlying meaning be-
tween the two.
Among the prehistoric finds perhaps
the most interesting are two boomer
angs which represent a weapon of the
chase unknown to America, but COM
mon in Australia. What gives this
discovery additional Importance is the
Idcl Indl the earliest cave deposits OF
human origin In Europe have the
boomerang. In Europe as in America,
therefore, the boomerang once existed,
but in both continents it's use was dis
continued, while a simpler form of
throwing club continued. In the same
case with the boomerangs are light
throwing clubs not at all unlike those
seen in the hands of fowlers in the wall
paintings on the Nile.
These cases are Interesting alsO for
the record they contain of the eyolu-
ton of pottery from basket work. We
see the impression on the clay of Ger
tain baskets, into which the clay was
originally pressed before being dried by
the sun and by fire and then Faxed
Among the Metherill objects excavated
In Utah which fill cases in she same
gallery we find the mummies and the
textiles of very early race (which
seems to have understood basketwork
alone, not having reached the stage of
pottery making, as was also the case
of the Australians But their baskets
are certainly superb for quality and
decorations, size, and usefulness,
though the weave differs from that
of the race whose remains are found
above them in the Utah caves, and
also from the weave of baskets made
by modern Indians.
In Mr.. Peppers find al Pueblo Mo-
iilNOf III view AtAltO. one can zee a
battle shaped jar of pottery in which
the maker has not only built the bowl
UP by spiral ropes of clay as the ear
ly basket maker would carry round
and round a rope of straw to form his
basket bowl, but he has indented the
rope of clay as he wound It. so that
the outside is rough like plated straw
1t is very pretty example of the ev-
olution of pottery from forms in bas-
Network
The decorations of this prehistoric
pottery are often explaina BILE only on
the belief that the potter had woven
basket before him which he initiated
shape, design, and all. in clay For
these designs are natural in basket
work, but not natural in the united
surface of a clay bowl or pot Here
to, are the stones they used to polish
the bowls inside and out, and other
implements used for carving. weaving
and painting.
Unequaled in other collections Of pre-
historic Americana Is the case con-
tanning inlays Of turquols or bone, jet