1893.] ^ -'■■'- [Brinton. 



gestion distinctl}' is of advancing years with the loss of the 

 vital warmth of youth. 



Day 14. — Tlte Tiger (Jaguar)^ or Sorcerer. 



According to the Annals of Gnauhtitlan the tiger symbolized 

 the nocturnal heavens dotted with stars as the jaguar skin with 

 spots.* That this was the significance of this day sign receives 

 added probability from a figure in the Codex Borgia, where the 

 goddess of the sign is accompanied by a picture of the moon 

 and the night sky sown with star-points. f 



The moon and the stars were the especial field of stud}^ of 

 the seers, the sorcerers and the wise men ; hence the underlying 

 meaning of the sign was occult or mystical knowledge. 



The especial constellation known to the Nahuas as ocelotl was 

 the Great Bear ; it mythically represented the god Tezcatlipoca 

 deposed from his position as the sun god, and falling into the 

 sea. % 



Day 15. — The Eagle, the Bird, Knowledge. 



In the Nahuatl symbolism the eagle, quauhtli, is generally un- 

 derstood to mean " war." But this sign in the other languages 

 would seem to stand for knowledge or skill. 



Day 16. — The Vulture, or Owl. 



According to the Nahuatl interpreters, this is the sign of old 

 age, of long life, derived perhaps from the bald head of the vul- 

 ture. The owl in all these nations was regarded as a bird of 

 evil omen. We may understand the reference in both to be to 

 the infirmities and losses of old age. 



Day 17. — Strength, Motion. 



The idea apparently conveyed by this sign is the disastrous 

 results of strength exerted. It is in the myths connected with 

 earthquakes, eclipses and the end of the world, and its represen- 

 tations portray death, human sacrifice, and destruction. The 



* See Anales delMuseo Nacional de Mexico, Tom. ii, p. 254. 



t Given by Dr. Seler, Azlek. und Maya Handschriften, p. 25, who, however, derives a dif- 

 ferent meaning from it. 

 X See Orozco y Berra, Historia Antigua, Tom. i, cap. ii. 



