200 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Feb., 



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the exception of a single stitch, have evidently been cut away from 

 the surface, leaving two parallel rows of stub ends of fibre visible on 

 the opposite sides of the crack. 



The ears, though reduced to a length of 3 cm., are apparently in 

 nowise distorted. The lobule of each is pierced with a round hole, 

 through which passes the soft cord of two twisted strands, which ties 

 on the pendant ear ornament. These are of unequal length, that of 

 the right ear being only 22 cm., while the left one measures 42 cm. 

 from its fibre proximal end to the tip of the hair tuft in which it 

 terminates. These cylindrical ear ornaments are formed of a heavy 

 rope of twisted fibre, coarser and more woody than the cords through 

 the ears and lips, and tightly bound with fibre at both ends. To the 

 distal end has been attached, partly by gumming and partly by 

 fibre wrapping, first a heavy tuft of hair, apparently human, 10 cm. 

 long on the longer, and 5 cm. on the shorter pendant. Above this, 

 with more gum and more encircling strands, was laid a circle of 

 small yellowish-green feathers, 4 cm. long. Above these come the 

 overlapping, iridescent scales which have entirely covered the 

 foundation and consist of the green elytra of a tropic beetle, 

 Mallaspis antennatus, each sewed by a single horizontal stitch of 

 very fine twisted fibre, passing through the two perforations in its 

 proximal end. Occasionally there is but one perforation, but even 

 in that case the stitch is usually horizontal, passing over the opposite 

 edge."* 



The head has been severed at a point level with the lower line of 

 the chin. The orifice has an oval form, being compressed laterally, 

 in conformity with the whole head. At the section, the thickness 

 of the flesh varies from 3 mm. to 9 mm. 



By ordinary day light, the hair is of an ebony-black, but in sun 

 light shows considerable iridescence with a marked reddish cast 

 in the shorter hair of the fore part of the head. In character, it is 

 moderately fine, wavy, and rather stiff. Much of it, upon the top and 

 sides of the head, is short; the longest at the back reaches a length 

 of 40 cm. Probably much has been removed for the scalp-belt — ■ 

 a trophy the Jibaro esteems only second to the tsantsa. 



The scalp is seamed from what was, before distorting in desiccation, 

 the posterior median line of the neck to a point midway to the 

 vertex. 



At the crown of the head, there is a single circular perforation, 



■• Dr. Colini (opera citu, tav. II, figs. 10 and 10 bis) figures ear pendants of this 

 type and ascribes them to tlie Muratos, a division of the Jibaros. 



