120 



THE ABORTGTNES OF PORTO RICO 



One of the most iustructive of these objects, (figure 20) repi-esents a 

 bird, the body of which would seem to be reversed as compared with 

 the others, having its back for the base, thus bringing the conical 

 projection on the ventral instead of on the dorsal region. The oval 

 elevated areas carved on each side of the back are supposed to rep- 

 resent wings. The specimen is remarkable also in being painted blue, 

 but whether this coloration is native or not could not be determined 

 This specimen is one of the tinest of all the stone objects with three 

 points, and is said to have come from Santo Domingo. 



Plate xLiii, (', represents another idol of the first type, which is one 

 of the best-known specimens of the group with birds' heads. The 

 beak is long and curved; appended to the eyes is a triangular raised 

 area that may represent a wing. On each side of a very low conical 

 ])r()jection there are two shallow depressions, shown in the side view (c). 

 The base is curved and the legs are obscurely indicated. The specimen 

 was ot)tained in 19u4 in the Neumann collection. 



Flfi. 20. Birfl form tlireP-r"intHd stone. 



Plate XLiv, «, is a three-pointed stone with a bird's head on the 

 anterior projection and what appears to be a second head at the pos- 

 terior end. It would appear, however, that this second head in realitj' 

 is highly conventionalized limbs. No neck is represented; the beak 

 is parrot-shaped, the ej-es are small, the wings absent. 



In the object represented in 7>, plate xliv, we have one of the 

 most aberrant of these bird forms. The eyes are mounted on globular 

 prominences and the beak is curved downward, and separated from 

 the breast b}- a slight perforation. The identity of this image is 

 problematical, its affinities appearing to be avian. The specimen is 

 made of hard black rock with a smoothly polished surface. 



Plate XLIV, c, c', and c", represents side, face, and rear views of an 

 animal which, on account of the owl-like form of the eyes, is identified 

 by Professor Mason as a bird. There is no beak, however, and the 

 mouth resembles that of a reptile or frog. As in several of the pi'e- 

 ceding specimens, there are grooves back of the head and in front of 



