Representations of quadrupeds are almost as rare as human figures
in Sikyatki pottery decorations. The deer (fig. 16, _a_), antelope,
mountain sheep, mountain lion, rabbit, and one or two other animals are
recognizable, but pictures of these are neither so common nor so highly
conventionalized as those of birds.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.—_a_, Deer; _b_, rabbit.]
Figure 17 shows one of two mammalian figures on a bowl, the surrounding
surface consisting of spatterwork, an uncommon but effective mode of
treatment.
The outline of the animal shown in figure 18 is intensified by
spattering, as in the case of the animal last mentioned. The black spots
along the back and tail are absent in other figures. The design below the
figure suggests, in some particulars, that of a highly conventionalized
shrine, but its true meaning is unknown.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.—Quadruped.]
[Illustration: FIG. 18.—Antelope or mountain sheep.]
The design in figure 19 has been regarded as representing a mountain
lion, but there is some doubt of the validity of this identification.
Although the feet are like those of a carnivorous animal, the head is
not. The two projections from the head, which may represent horns, are
not unlike those associated with the two figures next described, which
have been regarded as feathers.
The creature shown in figure 20 is also problematical. The appendages
to the head are prolonged, terminating in feathers that bend backward
and touch the body. The anterior body appendage has two crescentic
prolongations between which are parallel lines of unequal length.
The posterior limb is jointed, the lower half extending backward and
terminating in two claws, one long, the other short. Between these
extensions are two groups of slightly radiating lines that may be
regarded as feathers. The body has feathers like those of a highly
conventionalized bird, while the limbs resemble those of a lizard. The
body is serpentine, and tail feathers are wanting; both legs have talons
like those of birds, and the appendage to the head suggests a feather
headdress; the line connecting the head appendage and one claw of the
posterior limbs recalls a sky-band, commonly found in representations of
sky gods.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.—Mountain lion.]
[Illustration: FIG. 20.—Problematical reptile.]
The animal depicted in figure 21, which resembles figure 19 in the form
of the appendages to the head and mouth, is suspended inside of a circle
in the one case and is half within a circle in the other.