PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 793 



silver specimens are shown to be a lighter material than lead, as all the 

 specimens proved to be lighter than silver; cast-silver being 10.474 

 (Ganat) and cast-lead 11.352 (Gauat). This shows them to be probably 

 alloys of silver and zinc or tin, or both, or possibly nickel. These speci- 

 mens were all probably used as amulets. 



1^0. 9 has the only totemic resemblance. This may have been intended 

 as an imperfect representation of a cat-fish or a lizard. IJfos. 2 and 3^ 

 were probably of a class known as " ceremonial weapons," being too- 

 small and valuable for actual use in war or the chase, especially No. 

 3, but were used by the "medicine men" in their ceremonies. 



On page 61 of the Archaeological Collections of the United States Na- 

 tional Museum * there is figured (Fig. 224) a copper celt from a mound 

 near Lexington, Ky., which has a resemblance to our No. 3, although 

 more than double the size. 



On page 282 of the Eleventh Annual Eeport of the Peabody Museum 

 of Archseology and Ethnology of Harvard University, there is shown 

 (Fig. 6) a round silver ornament, taken from a mummy iu the ancient 

 cemetery at the bay of Chacota, Peru, and described by Mr. John H. 

 Blake. This article has a close general resem])lance to our No. 1, and 

 is, as described, of the same material, although 1^ inches larger in di- 

 ameter. Like this specimen, ours is brittle, and the hole in the center 

 is larger, but is countersunk in much the same manner. This Peruvian 

 specimen appears to have been worn as an ornament around the neck. 

 Unlike the Peruvian, ours has no marked indentations on the edge, 

 and, judging from the description, the Peruvian was much thinner. 



Discoidal ornaments of shell, stone, etc., are very numerous, and ap- 

 pear to have been universally popular with the aborigines. Many are 

 figured in the volume on Archaeology of Lieutenant Wheeler, United 

 States Engineers, surveys west of the one hundredth meridian. 



Judging of these specimens by their specific gravity, it appears cer- 

 tain that the gold ones at least, cannot have been made from coins unless 

 a large amount of alloy has been added. 



On page 298 of the Annual Eeport of the Smithsonian Institution for 

 1877 there is a description by Professor Rau of a gold ornament found 

 in Florida. In his observations on this ornament Professor Eau states 

 that there is no ground for supposing that the Indians north of Mexico 

 possessed the art of casting gold. This would apparently point to Mexico^ 

 as the probable origin of the gold specimen No. 2, which I think is un- 

 doubtedly cast, as I have stated in the table, for we would not suppose 

 the whites to have manufactured a gold ornament of this shape ; and^ 

 moreover, a close examination of the specimen will show a want of per- 

 fect symmetry, indicating it, with still greater probability, to be the 

 work of the aborigines or Aztecs. 



*Tlie Arcbceological Collection of th« Uulted States National Museum, in charge of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. By Charles Rau. (No. 267.) 

 Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. XXII. 



