a rounded bottom, and is covered with a
coat or slip of dark red clay.

[Illustration: FIG. 371.--Rectangular bowl: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]

A small vessel from the same region as the preceding has the rim
pressed in on the four sides, leaving sharp, projecting corners.

One of the most notable vessels in the collection is illustrated in
Fig. 372. It is a heavy casket consisting of two parts, body and lid,
and is made as usual of clay and coarsely pulverized shell. It is
brownish gray in color and bears some marks of the baking. It was
obtained by Captain W. P. Hall from a low mound at Hale's Point,
Tennessee, and is described by Mr. W. H. Pratt, in the following
language: "It is of rude, irregular, quadrangular form, made in two
parts. The lower, or case proper, is 12 inches long, 7 inches wide,
and 5 inches deep, inside measure, the upper edge being slightly
bent inward all around. The upper part or lid is of similar form and
dimensions, being very slightly larger, so as to close down over the
other part, about one and a half inches, and is somewhat more shallow.
As the lid does not fit very perfectly, the joint around the edge had
been plastered up with clay. When found, it contained the remains of a
very small child reduced to dust, except that some of the bones of
the skull, jaws, and limbs retained their form, crumbling rapidly,
however, upon removal and exposure to the air. There were also found
two or three dozen small shell beads. Excepting the remains described,
the case was entirely empty. The case weighs six and a quarter, and
the lid just six pounds." This is one of the very few vessels that
would seem to have been constructed especially for mortuary purposes.

[Illustration: FIG. 372.--Burial casket: Hale's Point,
Tennessee.--1/4.]

I wish to add to the list of eccentric forms a singular example from
the collection of J. R. Thibault, of Little Rock, Arkansas. As shown
in Fig. 373 it is an oblong, trough-like vessel with flat projecting
wings at the ends. It is extremely well-finished, with thin walls,
symmetrical form, and high polish. The color is quite dark and the
material is as usual. The engraved design consists of incised lines,
which form a number of rectangular compartments extending around the
exterior surface of the body. The wings are perforated. The form of
this vessel suggests the wooden trays of some modern tribes. A similar
example, which is illustrated in the Third Annual Report