THOMAS] INITIAL SERIES OF COPAN INSCRIPTIONS 223 



fang; the elmen glyph is a frog-like animal. The month symbol of 

 the date (glyph 13, plate lxxvxi) is, as stated above, a leaf-nosed bat 

 with a human face. As the name of the latter, Zotz, or "Bat," cor- 

 responds with the form, it is possible that the forms of the other sym- 

 bols have some reference to the names. However, I am unable to 

 point out this reference; though possibly as "uinal" in Maya sig- 

 nifies "'month" or "period of 20 days," and "no" "frog," the sym- 

 bol may have some reference to the name. Be this as it may, it will 

 be seen by reference to figures 103 and 1G4, showing the type.s of the 

 ahau and katun symbols, that the face forms retain to a large extent 

 the bird-like features, one of the katun sj^rabols, figure 164 «, having 

 the feather fringe over the forehead. We notice also in some of the 

 symbols of both the aliau and katun little patches of cross-hatching, 

 which are feather marks in the full forms of Stela D. 



These facts are noticed in passing merely to call the attention of 

 students to them as possibly forming some clew to the relation between 

 these symbols and what is represented by them. 



Attention is called next to the inscription on Stela I, Copau. The 

 numerals attached to the cycle, katun, ahau, and chuen symbols are 

 of the ordinarj- form ; that to the day glj'ph is of the disk and hand type 

 (figure 144) denoting naught (0); and that to the day (Ahau) of the 

 terminal date, the face charact r with the ahau headpiece denoting 

 5. Whether the month symbol is distinguishable, or is one of the 

 obliterated glyphs which follow, as C4oodnian asserts, is doubtful. The 

 series is therefore V-O-l 2-3-1 4-0, 5 Ahau V (month). Goodman says 

 54^9-12-3-14-20, .5 Ahau ? (month), leaving the month blank, but 

 adds that we know it must be 8 Uo. 



The correctness of the la.st statement may be questioned on the fol- 

 lowing grounds : Taking, in Goodman's own tables, the o5th great cj'cle, 

 9th cycle, 12tli katun, and 3d ahau, we find that the first day of this 

 ahau is 11 Ahau 8 Uo; by counting forward 14 months from this date 

 we reach 5 Ahau 8 Pax, a result which calculation shows to be cor- 

 rect, the initial date of this great cycle being 4 Ahau 3 Kankin. The 

 positive determination depends therefore on the proper determination 

 of the great cycle, or of its initial day, for his numbering of these 

 supposed jjeriods, "as we shall soon .see, is -nithout proper grounds. 



The initial series of the inscription on the ea.st side of Stela P (figure 

 150), same locality as the preceding, is given as follows : 54-9-9-10-0-0, 

 2 Ahau 13 Po^j. The numbers attached to the cycle, katun, and ahau 

 are face characters, those attached to the chuen and day symbols are 

 of the type shown in numbers 4, 5, and G, figure 144, but much abbre- 

 viated, and tliose of the terminal date are of the ordinarj' form. The 

 month symbol, which Goodman interprets Pop, is apparentlj^ a 

 variation of the usual type. As enough of the ]3refix to the chuen 

 symbol j'emains to indicate full count or naught (0), it may be 

 assumed that the prefix to the daj' .symbol, of which there seems to 



