THOMAS] SIGNIFICATION OB' THE NUMERAL SERIES 299 



iug as the initial or terminal day of a sei'ies, is to be taken as the 

 date of the chosen era, there is the additional fact that in cjnite a 

 number of the inscriptions there are series connected with, liut sub- 

 sequent to, the initial series, sometimes running into the hundreds of 

 years. If the terminal date of the initial series designates the date of 

 erection, then the other subsequent dates must liave been chiseled 

 after the monument was creeled. This would require the supposition 

 that the tablets at Palenque were quarried and dressed to a particu- 

 lar size with a profound knowledge of or keen foresight as to the 

 additional space that would be needed in the coming years. 



Sucli are some of the difficulties that stand in the way of the theor3' 

 advanced by Goodman and Seler as to the signification of the inscrip- 

 tions. Nor are these all the difficulties ; others appear when we discard 

 Goodman's theory of a great chronological sj'stem and look upon his 

 so-called time-periods as but orders of units, and count, as should be 

 done, 20 of the 5th order of units (cycles) to one of the 6th order (great 

 cycle). However, notwithstanding these serious difficulties, the 

 theory, if a little more generalized, so as to apply to the latest date 

 in the inscription as that denoting the time of erection or event com- 

 memorated, is perhaps the most acceptable which has been j)re- 

 sented, though it be verv doubtful. Many of the long series in the 

 Dresden codex appear, in fact, to be records of the steps of calcula- 

 tion in, finding the lapse of time between widely separated dates, 

 seeminglj' for amusement or mj"stical purposes. The author of the 

 Dresden codex seems to have been of a mathematical turn — far more 

 so than the authors of the Troano and Cortesian codices, which fact 

 probably accounts for the long series in the former; and it may be 

 added that a strong mathematical turn of mind has prol)ablj- led Mr. 

 Goodman to form his grand Ijut, unfortunatelj', imaginary Mayan 

 chronological system. 



INSCRIPTION AT XCALITMKIN, YUCATAN 



Attention is called again to tigure 157 (page 253), showing an 

 inscription found at Xcalumkin, Yucatan, by Maliler and photo- 

 gi-aphed by him. A copj' was obtained by Dr Le Plongeon and pub- 

 lished in his "Queen Moo" (page 80, plate xxv), but without any 

 particulars or attempt at explanation. As Mahler has not, so far 

 as I am aware, published any account of this discovery, and I am 

 indebted to Dr Saville for the copy used, I can only refer to the 

 inscription, which is certainly interesting in several respects. 



It is ajjparent at a glance that the majority of the sj-mbols differ 

 very considerably from those at Palenque, Tikal, Copan, and Quirigua 

 to which reference has been made in my previous paper and the first 

 part of this paper. So great is the difference that we are tmable to 

 say whether the first symbols, Al to B2, are numeral characters repre- 

 senting an initial series. That the part of A3 which is a cartouch 

 inclosing a serpent is to ije taken as a daj' symbol may be safely 



