332 PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



A multitude of figureens of greatly varying sizes are made in this 

 variety of ware aud are sold at from a penuy apiece u^). The be<id is 

 often made into a whistle, the mouth-piece being in the top of the head 

 aud the sound hole in the mouth. Fig. 17 represents one of the very 

 worst examples of this class. It is quite recent. 



Fig. 17. — Fignrinc in black clay with a whistle in the head. 



Some very pretentious pieces in black, well-polished ware come down 

 from past years, but in all cases they lack authentication. A rather 

 remarkable example, reproduced in Fig. 18, is figured in " Collections 

 of the National Museum." It is a sitting figure, purporting to repre- 

 sent some great personage or deity. It is fifteen inches in height, and 

 is preserved in the U. S. National Museum. 



Ancient carvings of the serpent, especially of the rattlesnake, are 

 very common in Mexico, and the subject is a popular one with modern 

 imitators. It is true that antique examples in clay are preserved to 

 us, but they are quite rare, whereas the spurious ones are to be found 

 everywhere. 1 could point out several other classes of frauds, but I 

 confine my efforts for the present to the illustration of the one great 

 family. 



Fraudulent work in wood, stone, and metal, although assuming consid- 

 erable importance, is limited for the most part to the copying of actual 

 originals. In neither of these materials does a group of new forms ap- 

 pear to have risen with sufficient individuality and consistency to per- 

 petuate itself independently of legitimate art. 



I have not even attempted to identify the thousands of copies in clay 

 of genuine relics now spread broadcast over the world, but my illus- 

 trations are, I believe, suflQcient in number and variety to enable ar- 



