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BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



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cents about the size of the dot, and these give the glyph in each case a 

 final touch of balance and harmony, which is lacking without them. 

 In 6, d, /, and h of the same figure a single crescent stands between 

 the two numerical dots, and this again harmoniously fills in the 







Fig. 42. Examples showing the way in which the numerals 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, and 17 are not used with 

 period, day, or month signs. 



glyph block. While the crescent (*) is the usual form taken (^ ^ 

 by this purely decorative element, crossed lines (**) are * ** 

 ^ £HT%^ found in places, as in (f ) ; or, again, a pair of dotted 

 t tt f elements (ff), as in (J). These variants, however, are 

 of rare occurrence, the common form being the crescent showTi in 

 figure 43. 



Fig. 43. Examplesshowingthewayinwhi.h the numerals 1,2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, and 17 arf used with period, 

 day, or manth signs. Note the filling of the otherwise vacant spaces with ornamental elements. 



The use of these purely ornamental elements, to fill the empty 

 spaces in the normal forms of the numerals 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, and 

 17, is a fruitful source of error to the student of the inscriptions. 

 Slight weathering of an inscription is often sufficient to make orna- 

 mental crescents look exactly like numerical dots, and consequently 

 the numerals 1, 2, 3 are frequently mistaken for one another, as are 

 also 6, 7, and 8; 11, 12, and 13; and 16, 17, and 18. The student 

 must exercise the greatest caution at all times in identifying these 



