January 6, 1893 J 



SCIENCE. 



the top of the figures I reproduce the leading hieroglyphic that 

 accompanies the figures and undoubtedly refers to the gen- 

 eral tenor of the series. The curious form of the instrument of 

 Dresden Codex (Fig. 40) occurs also on Plate 24 of the Codex 

 Tro., together with another more regular form (see Figs. 43 and 



this action here is accompanied by hieroglyphs (Fig. 45), the one 

 of them exhibiting the same characteristics as those accompany- 

 ing the musicians in Figs. 41 and 43. We have, thus, in the 

 kno's-n Maya Codices at least five well characterized representa- 

 tions of persons or gods beating a drum. My mentioning, there- 



44 of the adjoined table). And considering the former (Fig. 43) 

 and the other figures of the instrument represented above, I 

 think, nobody will doubt that also in the figures of Codex Cortes 

 2la and Codex Tro. 3ot> (Fig. 46 of the adjoined table) the writer 

 intended to represent a drum. We shall the less doubt of it, as 



fore, of a god beating a drum was net ■• merely hypothetical,"' 

 not a "mere assumption," but based wholly on proofs. 



I shall not go into further details; nor shall I attempt to criti- 

 cise the "additional evidence" brought forward by Professor 

 Thomas in his last article, or to discuss the probability of thah 



