64 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



elude a very prominent nose, are its most noteworthy characteristics. 

 Next to it is a very interesting carving suggesting a death's head 

 or perhaps a tattooed face (pi. n, ;'). The treatment of the nose 

 and mouth especially suggest a skull, whereas the incised circle on the 

 cheeks, square on the chin, and scroll on the forehead may indicate 

 either painted decoration or tattooing. There is only one ear or, 

 more probably, ear ornament. Another piece (pi. ii, /) may have 

 served as the tip for an atlatl or spear thrower, but if so it must 

 have been more ornamental than useful. The slanting upper portion 

 of the piece has a smoothly worn plane surface with a very small 

 perforation near the top bored in from both sides. The actual aper- 

 ture itself is only i mm, but the cone-shaped openings on each side 

 are twice that diameter. Such a small hole for lashing would prob- 

 ably not permit hard usage unless some strong adhesive, of which 

 no traces remain, were used as well. The piece is carved in the form 

 of a human face with prominent eyes and thick protuberant lips. 

 Viewed horizontally, instead of vertically as in the illustration (pi. 

 II, /), the entire piece suggests the head of a serpent or that of the 

 condor or king vulture. Whether this is intentional or not remains 

 uncertain, as does the original use to which the object was put. The 

 material is a very dark green talc, containing numerous imperfec- 

 tions. It is highly polished. 



Another piece (pi. ii, o) represents a small face surmounted by 

 a large headdress. The material is a dark green talc and the perfora- 

 tion occurs behind the face. The crudest object in the plate (pi. ii, in) 

 is of gray-white talc with brown incrustations. A simple geometric 

 face is incised on one surface. Next to this is a unique piece, the rear 

 surface of which is shown in the illustration (pi. ii, n). The front 

 surface has only three incisions, suggesting the eyes and nose of a 

 human face. Taken in conjunction with the face just mentioned 

 (pi. II, m), this last marks the extreme of a series of simplifica- 

 tions beginning with the elaborate faces with headdresses (pi. ii, 

 d, e, f) and ending with this piece, on which the three dots alone 

 suggest its anthropomorphic character. More interesting, perhaps, 

 is its hollow back with three large perforations (5 mm in diameter) 

 at sides and bottom. The object probably served as a bead from 

 which pendants were suspended. It is made of dark green talc. 

 Another object of similar color and material probably represents a 

 broad, conventionalized face with a narrow and unusual type of 

 feather headdress (pi. 11, q). The perforation (2 mm in diameter) 

 in this specimen is likewise behind the face and has exceptionally 

 large biconodont openings (9 mm in diameter). The next specimen 



