84 FLORA OF THE 



other hand. It would seem as if the engraver meant 

 this, viz. the praying figure is causing holy water to 

 descend from the deity, and the genius is waiting with 

 his bucket to obtain a supply. 



Whether this be so or not is not easy to say ; but 

 it is clear to me that, in this case, the bucket has 

 some connection with zvater and not with fertilization. 



Then there are many cylinders, which show us dis- 

 tinctly that the superstition of holy water was prevalent 

 among those people, for in Lajard's ' Culte de Mithra,' we 

 find in pi. 30, fig. 4, a horned human figure, with double 

 streams issuing from its shoulders ; in pi. 32, fig. 2, a 

 standing figure pouring water from a cup into a jar ; 

 in pi. 32, fig. 7, a horned seated figure, pouring water 

 from a jar, and from its shoulders, on to the heads of 

 two bulls; and in pi. 29, fig. i, a seated figure, holding 

 some sort of sceptre, from which issue two streams 

 leading to the foot of a two-faced figure. 



Some of these streams, for all we know, may some- 

 times be intended for wine ; but in some cylinders of 

 Lajard's work we are not left in doubt as to the 

 nature of the liquid, for fishes are placed along it to 

 show that it is ivatcr. For instance in pi. 29, fig. 2, 

 there is a seated horned figure, with upheld hand 

 showing a stream leading towards a two-faced horned 

 figure; along this stream there are fishes; pi. 35, fig. 7, 

 has a horned figure pouring two streams of water 



