THOMAS.] SERIES ON" PLATES 51 TO 58. 305 



very clearly a system and periodicity depending on the day column 

 series in the upper part of the pages. In the first column (Table V)_ 

 the interval is usually 4 months, 10 days, precisely the same as be- 

 tween the first and second day columns, but occasionally it is i 

 months, 5 days, which will still bring it to one of the four day series, 

 including the day indicated by the date — 4 months, 10 days. This 

 will be iinderstood by examining our calendar (Table II). The cor- 

 responding days in the four year columns were, by the Maya system, 

 necessarily brought together in the calendar; for example, they 

 are arranged in the series pictured on Plates 13-18 of the Cortesian 

 Codex precisely as given in our Table II. This skip of five days is 

 also apparent in the second and fourth coli;mns of differences (Table 

 V). Whether Dr. Forstemann is correct in all his identifications of 

 months among the symbols on the five plates now under considera- 

 tion is a question I feel unqualified to answer without a much more 

 careful comparison and study of these characters than I have given 

 them. 



Running through the upper division of Plates 53 to 58 and con- 

 tinued through the lower division of Plates 51 to 58 — that is to say, 

 commencing in the upper division of 53 and running into 58, then 

 back to the lower division of 51 and ending in 58 — is a remarkable 

 compound series. It consists, first, of a three line series of black 

 numerals standing above; second, a middle series of short, three day 

 columns, or columns each of three day symbols, with red numerals 

 attached ; and, third, below, a two line series of numerals, those of 

 the upper line red and of the lower black numbers. 



As this series is a very important one in the study of the relations 

 of the numerals to one another and to the days indicated, an exact 

 copy of it is given in Figs. 363-370, each figure representing a page 

 and the whole standing in the same order as in the original. The 

 red numerals and red symbols are, as usual, given in outline as an 

 indication of their color. 

 G ETH 20 



