GUESDE COLLECTION OF ANTIQUITIES IN WEST INDIES. 815 





riG. 171. 



Fig. 172. 



ine this the cosmetic mortar of some proud cacique \oug before the 

 days of Guauecagaro. (From Porto Eico.) 

 Length, 8-^% inches; width 9 inches. 



VIII. PERFORATED STONES. 



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

 fully studied by Dr. Charles Eau 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 understood 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. 



