38 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. X. 



duction. It is 14.5 cm long, 3 cm wide over the back and 6.2 cm over 

 the blade, 1.1 cm thick. The eye is drilled from one side only, the one 

 not shown in the plate where the diameter is 1.3 cm, while on the op- 

 posite face it is only 7 mm, so that the interior wall which is well polished 

 assumes the shape of an obtuse cone. It will be noticed that there is 

 on the left lateral edge running along the lower face a projecting ridge 

 which affords a support to the finger in handling the implement. On 

 the opposite lateral side, the lower edge is flattened out into a strip 

 about 3 mm wide. Both lateral sides are not vertical, but slightly 

 slanting in such a way that a cut made latitudinally would show a 

 trapezoid. The blade with pointed curved edge is short, and as usual, 

 bilateral, while the specimen in Fig. 2 has a unilateral blade, but other- 

 wise resembling Fig. 1 in shape and having the same slanting lateral 

 sides . There is no perforation . There are two curious incisions in the left 

 lateral side, one in the upper left corner running from the middle of the 

 back across to the lateral side, the other below it, a small segment of 

 the size and shape of a thumb-nail being cut out of the lower face. 

 It is easy to see that these two incisions afforded a hold to the finger- 

 nails, and that this implement was handled in such a manner that the 

 thumb lay flat on the right lateral side, the nail of the second finger 

 fitting into the upper left incision and the nail of the middle finger 

 into the lower incision on the left lateral side. No doubt this specimen 

 has been in actual use. It measures 7 cm in length, 1.7 cm in width 

 over the back, and 2.6 cm over the blade, and is 1 . 1 cm thick. It is made 

 of a jade of very peculiar coloration, a kind of soap-green, white light and 

 dark blue -mottled, darker shades of green in more continuous masses 

 and larger white spots being displayed over the lower face. 



The knife-shaped object in Fig. 4, Plate VI, is carved out of a beau- 

 tiful transparent leaf -green jade (only 3 mm thick) interspersed with 

 masses of deep-black specks designated as "moss" {Vai) by the Chinese. 

 If held against the light, it presents a beautiful effect. The very delicate 

 character of this implement is sufficient proof for its having never been 

 put to any profane use. The blade (on the left side) is merely indicated 

 and only 2 mm wide, while the cutting edge is blunt (}4 mm thick) 

 and of the same thickness as the two straight lateral edges. In length 

 it measures 12 cm, in width 3.6-3.9 cm. The eye (diameter 5 mm) is 

 bored from the two faces, and exactly in the middle of the interior wall 

 a very regular ring is left, evidently with intention. This implement, 

 no doubt, was an emblem of power and rank and belongs to the category 

 of objects discussed in the next chapter. 



The jade chisel in Plate VII, Fig. 1, is of a similar type as that in 

 Fig. 2, Plate VI, only somewhat longer and thicker (8.5 cm long, 2 cm 



