April, 1901. The Island of La Plata — Dorsey. 257 



of round hollow tubes. To the ends were fastened sheets of gold cut 

 in the shape of the foot, the toes being indicated simply b}' means of 

 narrow grooves impressed in the sheet. The head covering, repre- 

 senting the parted and braided hair, is firmly fastened to the head by 

 means of four pairs of most skillfully concealed and ingeniously 

 applied rivets. The first pair are over the eyes, the third pair on a 

 line with the shoulders and the last pair are under the broad object 

 fastened to the end of the hair. The rivets are spines projecting from 

 the inner side of the head covering and enter holes at the points 

 mentioned in the body of the image where they have been riveted 

 from the inside. The reason for making the head ornament in a 

 separate piece lies, I think, in this manner of its application to the 

 figure. It gives added strength to the head and especially it binds 

 together and so strengthens the bod}' seam in a manner which could 

 not be readily accomplished in any other manner. Furthermore this 

 method of applying the hair certainly gives it a more realistic 

 appearance than it would have otherwise. 



As for the composition of the metals of which the images are 

 made, I cannot offer detailed results. Qualitative analysis has been 

 made, however, of the two gold and of the copper image. The silver 

 image (not analyzed) is much corroded and -^ apparently pure silver. 

 The two gold images prove to be alloys of about 12-karat fine, the 

 percents roughly estimated being gold 50, silver 30 and copper 20. 



IMAGE OF BRONZE. 



The copper figure proves equally interesting, for it contains 3 

 per cent of tin, and 7 per cent of iron, and so cannot be native 

 copper, but a low grade bronze. 



GOLD CUP. 



The sixth specimen from the grave to be described is a gold cup 

 (Fig. 40). This measures five inches in diameter and is almost three 

 inches in height. It is regular in form and of very graceful outline. 

 A chemical analysis of a fragment shows no trace of either silver or 

 copper, and it seems probable that it was hammered out of a nugget 

 of pure gold. On the side near the rim are two holes a quarter of 

 an inch apart, made by some awl-like instrument by pressure from 

 without. 



