In 1932 Haury described lead-glaze pottery from the Southwest. In view of his report, it appeared desirable to find out whether the makers of such pottery suffered from lead poisoning. A series of 46 bone specimens from Kinishba, where lead-glaze pottery was made, and a control series of 33 specimens from Point of Pines, where such pottery is not known to have been made, were screened by X-ray and by X-ray diffraction. The 11 most promising specimens were then analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Lead was found in quantities believed to be below the toxic range; concentrations in the control series from Point of Pines were, with few exceptions, higher than in the experimental series from Kinishba.

Southwestern archaeologists generally agree with Jett's opinion that more than one cause was involved in the widespread 13th-century Pueblo migrations, but they may disagree with his emphasis on the influence of non-Pueblo enemy groups, for which actual evidence remains meager, and his de-emphasis on the effect of known drought conditions. A serious specific error, however, lies in his use of the “Flagstaff” (Pueblo Plateau) tree-ring record for prehistoric weather fluctuation in areas of the Rio Grande and southern Arizona, since these are completely outside the area defined by Douglass, Schulman, and others for the “Flagstaff” chart. Past weather conditions in the Rio Grande frequently contrasted or differed in degree of wet and dry periods, as indicated by the Rio Grande tree-ring chart, and some areas of the Southwest still are not covered by charts.

A partially reconstructed, flat-bottomed, pottery vessel from central Nevada is described and compared with similar vessels from the Great Basin and adjacent areas. It appears to have been made by the historic Shoshone Indians.

Information is solicited on the distribution in time and space of limonite crystal beads. Nine such beads from two sites in southern Arizona are described.

Illustrations of skeletal positions and locations of associated artifacts, especially when the number of burials is large, may be increased in accuracy and efficiency by using sheets prepared photographically. A commercially produced, 14-inch polystyrene plastic model of the human skeleton can be used to simulate the basic burial positions found in archaeological sites. Photographs of these positions may be reproduced by offset process on a series of printed forms, and such forms may be used for quick and accurate recording of burial data in the field. Similar but greatly reduced prints may also be used on mock-up diagrams of the site. This technique will eliminate difficult verbal description, increase accuracy, improve comprehension, save time, and reduce publication costs.

Nonceramic designs are rarely described from southern New England. One is here illustrated and its elements examined. Several controlled speculations as to its meaning are advanced. These include attenuated Southern Cult motifs, depicted natural-history phenomena, and the possibility of its being a map or a record of some cultural event. No conclusions are drawn. Re-examination of similar artifacts in local collections may reveal additional scratched designs.

The Sheep Island site in the McNary Reservoir area of the Middle Columbia is unique in showing a burial stratigraphy, with flexed burials underlying a cremation “floor” and cremation pits. Both are prehistoric, whereas the nearby Berrian Island site on the north shore of the Columbia shows an abundance of historic flexed “cedar cist” burials. The presence of a mixed Salish and Sahaptin population in the area in early historic times casts doubt on these “cedar cist” burials as typically Sahaptin.

Methods used in taking drill cores at a deeply stratified archaeological site in Kanawha County, West Virginia, are reported. A site exposed by river-bank erosion was tested with six cores, and additional deeper levels of probable human occupation were found. The site limits were determined, and evidence was gathered which suggests that the site was originally on an island. This work indicates that core drilling at similar sites in alluvial valleys would be a useful archaeological technique.

Because of its dependence on presence-and-absence counts, the Dempsey-Baumhoff ordering technique may not be as useful as the Robinson technique in two kinds of situations: (1) when artifact mixture has occurred, and (2) when the types used are based on continuously varying attributes and overlap one another to some extent because of normal variation in the attributes.