208 A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TEOANO. 



possibly indicating stars as emblematic of the heavens; and, fourth, the 

 bird at the top. In this (the Palanque Tablet) we see at the base the head 

 of some fabulous reptile, notwithstanding the opinion quoted in Dr. Rau's 

 paper to the contrary. The appendages at the right and left just above the 

 head are probably intended for fore limbs. By looking carefully at the 

 upright we observe little knots on the sides opposite each other, indicating 

 the nodes as marked on the figures of trees in the Manuscript. 



Referring to the middle plate between pages 156 and 157, Stephens's 

 Central America, Vol. I, we observe on the back of the statue an abridged 

 type of the Palenque cross. Here we see the same broad nose, the rows 

 of teeth, and the spiral lines representing eyes, but we would never imagine 

 it represented a head but for what we see on the Palanque Tablet. 



The arms issue from the upper portion of the head; the knobs are rep- 

 resented by balls along the arms without stems; and the bird is changed 

 into a human figure with wings and a little bird head. 



