Fig. 99.—Fret derived from the body-line of the alligator, Chiriqui; after Holmes.
The designs in Fig. [100] are painted upon low rounded prominences on vases, and hence are enclosed in circles. In Fig. [100], A, the alligator is coiled up, but still preserves some of the well-known characters of that reptile. In B, we have the double hook modification of the alligator’s body, but the triangles are placed separately against the encircling line. In the next figure the body-line is omitted, and three dotted scutes alone represent the animal. The four scutes of the next designs assume a symmetrical position, and the central crossed line may represent the alligator’s body. In the last figure of this series the cross has become the predominating feature, and the spots have migrated into it, so that the triangles have become mere interspaces.
Fig. 100.—Series of alligator derivatives, showing modification through use within a circular area, Chiriqui; after Holmes.
Finally, Fig. [101] is a zone pattern, painted on an earthen drum, the central zigzag line represents the body of the alligator, and the notched hooks its extremities; these are here arranged with perfect regularity, but sometimes only the latter occur in patterns, and then they are often somewhat irregularly disposed.