126 



A STUDY OF CHIRIQUIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



or muddy streams in plains or stagnant pools in woods. The habits of the cro- 

 codile are quite different. They frequently live in numerous herds and are found 

 in both salt and fresh waters estuaries, rivers and lakes. Seemann, therefore, 

 probably meant the crocodile when he wrote : " Alligators are numerous on the 

 mouths of rivers, where they are found sunning themselves on the muddy banks." 

 Armand Reclus 1 might have had the crocodile instead of the alligator in mind 

 when he said : " The caymans sleep with the mouth open, the upper jaw almost 

 vertical." Such scenes must have been familiar to the ancient Chiriquians, and 

 may account for the characteristic way in which the jaws were represented 

 open mouth and upturned snout. The length of the jaw is often exaggerated, 

 as if the artist had in mind Crocodilus americanus, var. acutus, instead of the shorter 

 muzzled alligator. It was the crocodile also that figured as cipactli in the ancient 

 Mexican picture-writing. Notwithstanding all these reasons for believing the cro- 

 codile to be the saurian depicted, it does not seem best to change the name 

 chosen by Holmes. It is retained, therefore, with the proviso that it be given a 

 liberal interpretation. 



A favorite representation is that showing the alligator in absolute profile (fig. 206). 

 This is one of the more realistic forms, but contains several of the elements that 



have become independent decorative 

 motives ; hence it may be regarded 

 as a sort of key to much that follows. 

 Note especially the open mouth with 

 teeth, the prolonged and upturned 

 snout, and the dorsal markings on 

 the head, back and tail. The last 

 consists of groups of spots in a 

 triangular and a semicircular field, 

 and a series of spines. These 

 represent the body-markings of the 

 alligator (or crocodile, as the case 

 may be). As is well known, the 

 dorsal scutes or scales form longi- 

 tudinal series. The keels or spines 

 of the scutes may be easily seen 

 in profile and therefore give the 

 artists little trouble. The scales 

 are not so conspicuous. The diffi- 

 culty of reproducing them is happily 

 obviated by placing them in tri- 

 angular or semicircular fields that 



stand out above, the dorsal line. I shall call these scale-group motives. The 

 other markings are of course spine motives. 



A similar treatment of the alligator is noted in figure 207 open mouth with 

 teeth, and upturned snout. Here however there are no spines on the back, the 



Fig. 206. Detail showing favorite J representation of alligator 

 in profile. '/> 



Fig. 207. Similar treatment of the alligator. 



1 Panama et Darien, 149, 1881. 



