168 THE ABORIGINES OF PORTO RICO Ieth. an'!<. 25 



Spanish invasion as may afford a clue to the mystery. Such elaborate pieces of work 

 in hard stone could not have been intended to serve either a temporary or trifling 

 purpose. They are all far too heavy for ordinary use, yet not heavy enough to kill 

 or even to greatly torture the wearer, if we regard them as collars of punishment. 



One of the early references to these collars occurs in Dr Daniel 

 Wilson's work on The Archicology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland 

 (p. 15(vl5T): 



But perhaps the most singular relics of the Stone period ever discovered in Scot- 

 land are two stone collars, found near the celebrated Parallel roads of Glenroy, and 

 now preserved at the mansion of Tonley, Aberdeenshire. They are each of the full 

 size of a collar adapted to a small highland horse; the one formed of trap or whin- 

 stone and the other of a fine-grained red granite. They are not, however, to be 

 regarded as the primitive substitutes for the more convenient materials of later intro- 

 duction. On, the contrary, a close imitation of the details of a horse collar of com- 

 mon materials is attempted, including the folds of the leather, nails, buckles, and 

 holes for tying particular parts together. They are finished with much care and a high 

 degree of polish, and are described as obviously the workmanship of a skillful artist. 

 Mr Skene, who first drew attention to these remarkable relics, suggests the proba- 

 bility of the peculiar natural features of Glenroy having led to the selection of this 

 amphitheater for the scene of ancient public games; and that these stone collai-s might 

 commemorate the victor in the chariot race, as the tripods still existing record the 

 victor in the Choragic games of Athens. But no circumstances attending their dis- 

 covery are known which could aid conjecture either as to the period or purpose of 

 their construction. 



Althoiioh these collars may have been found at Glenroy and are 

 ascribed by Doctor Wilson to the Stone age of Scotland, they are evi- 

 dently Porto Rican in origin, having been carried to Scotland from 

 over the seas. Stevens, in Flint Chips, includes these specimens 

 with other West Indian collars in English collection.**. 



Mason seems to have adopted no theory regarding- the use of the 

 rings or collars, saying: "Whether they were the regalia of sacrificial 

 victims," of military heroes, of ecclesiastical worthies, or of members 

 of some privileged cast who marched in double file through the streets 

 of Porto Rican villages long since decayed will perhaps forever remain 

 a mystery." 



Dr A. Stahl considers the collars, "toison de piedra,'" as insignia of 

 rank worn by chiefs or caciques in important festivals or assemblies. 

 This explanation he applies more especially to the slender specimens, 

 for the massive forms he regards as possible implements of torture. 

 It should be borne in mind that there is a general similarity in form 

 of the massive oval and the oblique ovate types which would imply a 

 like use for both. Doctor Stahl declares that they '■ never iiavc the 

 form of serpents, as some have supposed."* 



Senor Agustin Navarette considers that these rings were neither 

 idols nor parts thereof. He supposes that the massive forms were 

 intended purely for the adornment of the cabins of the caciques, com- 



a Professor Mason had already said tliat there is no meiuioii of human sacrifice hy the natives. 

 b Los Indies Borinqueiios, p. 151-152. 



