ORNAMENTS. 



41 



Fig- 47- 



a thin central flat slab was left. Even this was perforated and also used as an 

 amulet if the material was precious. There is one such slab in the Yale Museum. 

 It is from Miravalles, Costa Rica, but is appropriately reproduced here (fig. 46). 

 Its length is twenty centimeters. The thickness varies, one half being only 

 two millimeters in thickness, and the other three, so that the piece is translucent 

 at all points, as it is cut from a mass of excep- 

 tionally fine jade. The longitudinal scars produced 

 by the failure of the saw-cuts on the opposite 

 sides to meet in a common plane (and by the 

 prying-loose process) are visible on both back 

 and front. A slice was removed from one side 

 of this slab. The other lateral margin and the 

 ends seem to follow rather closely the contours 

 of the original pebble or mass. Sections of the 

 margin at each end show, in fact, the original 

 crust, while the rest of the specimen is polished 

 artificially. Near the smaller end are two holes 

 bored from one side only, one of them being a 

 second attempt at boring, after a hole had been 

 started too close to the margin. 



The small celt-shaped amulet shown in figure 47 

 serves as a connecting link between the preced- 

 ing figure and the one that follows. It was a 

 piece retained by the Lamson Brothers when 

 they sold their (the McNiel) collections to Professor 

 Marsh. It is flat on the back and has the groove 

 across the front, but the lateral margins and pole 

 are faceted and there are two holes for suspen- 

 sion instead of one. They also represent the 

 eyes of the life form, the head of which is further 

 suggested by the incised lines above and below. 

 This may be either anthropomorphic or ornitho- 

 morphic. There are two additional holes made 

 by boring diagonally into the lateral facets and 

 the back, respectively. These may have been 

 for the attachment of ornament or apparel. The 

 material is dark green and opaque, probably a 

 variety of hornstone or basanite. 



A fine ornithomorphic celt-shaped amulet of 

 jade is shown in figure 48, one that compares 

 favorably with the best specimens from Las 



Guacas figured by Hartman. It does not seem to have been formed by splitting 

 a celt in two. The back is convex, as was also the front until its lower half was 

 cut away to make the blade of the celt and the tail of the bird as well. Then 

 comes the body of the bird with wings in relief folded on the breast. A trans- 

 verse hole for suspension is bored through the constriction at the neck. The 

 MEMOIRS CONN. ACAD., Vol. III. 6 



Fig. 48. 



(Lam- 



Fig. 47. Small celt-shaped amulet. 



son collection.) '/' 

 Fig. 48 Ornithomorphic celt-shaped amulet 



of jade. '/ 



