GUESDE COLLECTION OF ANTIQUITIES IN WEST INDIES. 815 



I 









Fig. 172. 



ine this the cosmetic mortar of some proud cacique long before the 

 days of Guauecagaro. (From Porto Rico.) 

 Length, S-jAq- inches: width 9 inches. 



VIII. PERFORATED STONES. 



The perforation of stone by the American aborigines has been faith- 

 fully studied by Dr. Charles Ran and others. When the boring is for a 

 short distance two conical excavations are made from opposite sides, mak- 

 ing a cavity shaped like an hour-glass. The process of boring a similar 

 hole is commonly called countersinking. The West Indians as well as 

 other aborigines of our continent also nnderstood how to produce long- 

 excavations through very hard material, but never with the uniformity 

 of a steel drill. One of the best tests of genuine relics of this class is 

 the method of perforation. 



