442 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 28 



two characters together on page 46 on the right in the middle, where 

 the four Venus periods are probably set down in close succession; 

 and that 32 and 33 {b) are really meant to denote the periods of 250 

 days belonging to the west is confirmed b}^ the fact that the black 

 divinity on page 50, on the left, actually appears among the deities 

 who govern the separate parts of the Venus year — in the middle of 

 the page at the beginning and at the bottom at the end of a period of 

 250 days. For prefix the black deity has here the sign Imix with 

 three rows of dots proceeding from it. Since with the Mayas Imix 

 very commonly stands at the beginning of the 20-day period, as the 

 corresponding Cipactli always does Avith the Aztecs, the whole glyph 

 might be read : Here begins the 250-day Venus period. 



34, 35 (c) . Exactly in the same place in which are the signs 32 (b) 

 and 33 on page 4G we find the signs 34 and 35 (c) on page 47. 35 is 

 Venus again, and 34 has the numeral 10 (on page 47 it may possibly 

 be 11) before it, and 34, too, seems to signify a deity, possibly K. 

 (Moan), although in that case we should expect to find a 13 beforeit. 

 On ])age 47, on the left. Moan represents a period of 8 days belonging 

 to the south, the inferior conjunction of Venus. 



If my conjectures are well founded, we have in 21 to 25 the eastern, 

 in 26 to 28 the northern, in 32 and 33 (/>, figure 107) the western, 

 and in 34 and 35 (c) the southern part of the revolution of Venus 

 (236, 90, 250, and 8 clays, respectively), the last three being more 

 briefly treated than the first owning to lack of space. 



But I return once more to sign 34, Moan. The striking number 10 

 before it suggests the possibility that something else, probably a date, 

 was to be designated. Now, the principal part of the sign is like 

 that of the third 20-day period, Zip. It may, therefore, mean 

 10 Zip. We now remember that the signs for the eastern part begin 

 with the date 4 Zac. But from 4 Zac to 10 Zip of the next year 

 we have precisely the interval of 2364-90-|-250— 576 days, that 

 is, a Venus year lacking only the 8 days of invisibility during 

 inferior conjunction; according to our calendar, the interval between 

 P^ebruary 4 and September 3 of the succeeding year, the time from 

 the appearance of the morning star to the disappearance of the even- 

 ing star. May the future determine the year in question here. On 

 pages 46 to 50, as I shall directly observe, other years are treated of. 



36 to 40 {d, e, /, g, and A, figure 107) . These, the last five signs, occur 

 in exactly this order on pages 46 to 50, one on each page at the 

 beginning of the third line in the middle group of the right half, 

 directly under the signs which we have just mentioned; but with this 

 difference, that on page 24 they always have the same prefix, which 

 they lack on pages 46 to 50, w^hile there the same glyph invariably 

 follows them. On page 46 the sign 36 {</, figure 107) has ]io further 



