238 Timehri. 
varying greatly, are of the same type. The dancer has his feather 
crown and cloak of palm leaves, the hands and feet being covered by 
the latter. Where only a head appears (sometimes presumed to be 
the sun) the figure is imperfect, and it is suggested that these are 
retouched and elaborated at later periods. The Doctor found examples 
which had been recently deepened and is of opinion that most of them 
are the result of intermittent work. ‘Two elaborate figures, which could 
only have been a few days old, were found on clay banks; these would 
naturally be obliterated by a flood. There was no difficulty in identifying 
some of them such as the King vulture and butterfly. The former is a 
common emblem in Mexico and is often figured on the old pottery found 
in our kitchen-middens. Sharp-pointed stones are used, together with 
wet sand, but the complete work naturally takes up much time; possibly 
the engraver gets tired and leaves his task unfinished. A stone pick we 
have in the Museum would be a very useful tool for such a work. 
The suggestion that the figures are connected with dances is confirmed 
by the fact that some of them are like what we have as ornaments to 
dancing sticks. Among them are conventional half-moons, armadillos, 
birds and fishes. The block for this journal contains three examples of 
the dancers, only one of which may be considered complete, a turtle with 
egos, frogs, two monkeys with curled tails, a lizard, a coiled snake and a 
wheel-like figure. 
We may dismiss the idea that the Timehri figures have a historical 
significance. The real esoteric meaning will probably be found if we ever 
eét to the significance of the dances. That something is meant by every 
detail is practically certain, but only the initiated Peaiman knows the 
secret and he is bound to keep it from the white man. 
Dr. Koch-Grunberg found 39 examples of Timehri rocks, 19 on the 
Rio Caiary-Uaupés, 9 on the Aiary and the remainder on the Negro and 
other branches. The number appears to increase as we get away from 
the settlements. 
When we read the old books we find many a tale which can 
hardly be taken seriously. Sometimes a monster or freak is taken 
as representing a tribe or people, such as the Touvingas of Hartsineck 
who are represented with claws like a crab on both foot and hand. 
Probably only one or two cases were found of such a malformation and 
the picture is no doubt an exaggeration. Possibly other old stories 
grew up from such unique malformations. 
Everyone looked for wonders and in many cases found or invented 
them. Bancroft in his “Essay on the Natural History of Guiana,” 1769, 
figures a real two-headed snake as an Amphisbcoena to which it bears no 
resemblance. Pythons or caroudis of enormous lengths were reported ; 
ninety feet long and as big round as a barrel was the general idea. Of 
course they were considered very dangerous; and stories of narrow 
escapes were told where the snakes rushed upon travellers and coiled 
