[ SPINDLE WHORLS.]

The art of weaving was carried to a high degree of perfection by many of the American races, but the processes employed were of the simplest kind. The threads were spun upon wooden spindles weighted

with whorls of baked clay. These whorls are not plentiful in the graves of Chiriqui, but such as have been collected are quite similar in style to those of Mexico and Peru. In Figs. 218, 219, and 220 we have three examples modeled with considerable attention to detail but comparatively rude in finish. They are in the natural color of the baked clay and are but rudely polished. The first is encircled by a line of rough, indented nodes, the second is embellished with homely little animal figures, and the third with incised patterns and rude incisions.

Fig. 218. Spindle whorl in gray clay decorated with annular nodes—1/1. Fig. 219. Spindle whorl of gray clay with animal figures—1/1. Fig. 220. Spindle whorl of dark clay with perforations and incised ornament—1/1.
[ NEEDLECASES (?).]

I have given this name to a rather large class of small oblong or oval receptacles that could have served to contain needles or any other small articles of domestic use or of the toilet. They consist of two parts, a vessel or body and a lid. The former takes a variety of cylindrical, subcylindrical, and doubly conical shapes, and the latter is conical and is in many cases furnished with a knob at the top for grasping with the fingers. The lid is attached or held in place by means of strings passed through small holes made for the purpose in corresponding margins of the two parts. These objects were in pretty general use in the province, as they are found to belong to a number of the groups of ware, being finished and decorated as are the ordinary vessels of these classes. A few type specimens are given in the following cuts. A fine example belonging to the unpainted ware is shown in outline in Fig. 221. It is five inches in height and three in diameter and is pleasing in shape. The specimen outlined in Fig.

222 is of the lost color group, but has lost nearly all traces of the decorative design.
Fig. 221. Needlecase of unpainted clay
with conical lid—½.		 Fig. 222. Needlecase, lost color
group of ware—½.

A fine example, with high polish and elaborate decoration, is presented in Fig. 223. The lid is raised to show the position of the perforations. Two interesting examples belonging to the dark incised ware are shown in Figs. 224 and 225. The deeply incised design of the first is purely geometric, but is probably of graphic parentage, while that of the second, rather rudely scratched through the dark surface into the gray paste, is apparently a less highly conventionalized treatment of the same motive.



Fig. 224. Needlecase of gray clay withangular incised geometric ornament—½.

Fig. 223. Needlecase with paintedgeometric ornament, belonging to the lost color group ofware—½.Fig. 225. Needlecase of gray clay withblack polished surface and incised ornament—½.