614 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN, INDIANS. 
liver; the rose to the breast; the earthquake to the tongue; the eagle to the right 
arm; the vulture to the Dene ear; oe zat to the left ear; the flint to the teeth; 
2 the air to the breath; the monkey 
to the left arm; the cane to the 
heart; the herb, to the bowels; the 
lizard to the womb of women; the 
tiger to the left foot; the serpent 
to the male organ of generation, as 
that from which their diseases pro- 
ceeded in their commencement; 
for in this inanner they considered 
the serpent, wherever it occurred, 
as the most ominous of all their 
signs. Even still physicians con- 
tinue to use this figure when they 
perform cures, and, according to 
the sign and hour in which the 
patient became ill, they examined 
whether the disease corresponded 
with the ruling sign; from which 
itis plain that this nation is not 
as brutal as some persons pretend, 
since they observed so much meth- 
od and order in their affairs and 
employed the same means as our 
astrologers and physicians use, as 
this figure still obtains amongst 
them and may be found in their 
repertoires. 
a, deer or stag; b, wind; ¢, 
rose; d, earthquake; e, eagle; 
J, eagle of a different species; 
g, water; h, house; 7, skull or 
death; j, rain; ore 1, rab- 
bit; m, flint; n, air; 0, mon- 
key; p, cane; q, grass or herb; 
r, lizard; s, tiger; t, serpent. 
Dr. S. Habel (d) gives the 
description concerning Fig. 
979, which is presented here 
on account of the several sym- 
bols and gestures exhibited: 
This is a block of dark gray 
porphyry (vuleanite) 12 feet long 
3 feet broad and 2 feet thick, the 
upper left corner of which is 
slightly broken off. The sculpture 
occupies 9 feet of its upper part. 
The upper portion represents the 
head and breast of a female, sur- 
rounded by a circle, from which 
Fic. 979.—Guatemalan symbols. the arms project. Besides the ste- 
reotyped frill surrounding the forehead, the only ornament of the head consists of two 
