METAL. 197 



the latter may have been inspired by the above narrative of one of Raleigh's men. 

 The dates of these two accounts would not necessarily conflict with such a view. 

 De Bry's text is as follows : 



"Incolse regni Guiana statuas & imagines suas, plerumque ex paruis auri granulis 

 fundunt, quae in quodam lacu, non procul a regia ciuitate Manoa, & in aliis 

 fluminibus, quae sese in lacum istum exonerant, colligunt. Ad grana ista aurea 

 paululum seris assumunt, ut auru tractari facilius possit, & postea vasi alicui fictili 

 includunt, quod multa habet foramina, ad quae fistulas quaeda siue calami aptantur, 

 ita ut in typos promineant, qui ad ignem sub vase isto in hunc usum collocati 

 sunt, ut aurum habitu oris liquefactum & ex vase fictili promanans excipiant." l 



The fact that an alloy of gold and copper fuses at a lower temperature than 

 either metal alone accounts in part at least for the prevalent use of the alloy 

 among the natives of America. That they were able however to cast pure copper 

 and probably copper alloyed with tin, which has a higher melting point than gold, 

 is attested by the existence of figurines of that metal. 



In describing and illustrating gold ornaments, great caution has been exercised 

 in eliminating all pieces, the authenticity of which could be questioned. In the 

 early days, collectors often had difficulty in disposing of originals at little if any 

 more than their bullion value. Now that the demand is great and the supply 

 small, they often command two and three times the gold value. Nearly all the 



----- -^ 



Fig. 325. — Needle of nearly pure copper. V« 



specimens here figured were collected thirty to forty years ago, which fact of 

 itself creates a strong presumption in favor of their being genuine. In case of 

 more recent acquisitions, reliance is placed largely on a thorough comparison 

 with pieces that are undoubtedly authentic. I have spent months in searching 

 for criteria, by means of which even the most skilful frauds might be detected, 

 but am not yet prepared to announce complete success. 



The number of metal objects in which gold plays no part is relatively small. 

 These are presumably either nearly pure copper or bronze. Among them may 

 be mentioned a needle (fig. 325), the eye of which is produced by slitting one 

 end, spreading the halves apart and then bringing their tips together. The 

 needle is perfectly round and of uniform diameter except in the region of the 

 tapering point. 



Toilet articles are represented by bronze or copper tweezers, evidently intended 

 for plucking out hair or beard. Similar ones have been found in Peru. Squier 

 speaks of finding a pair of bronze tweezers suspended by a thread around the 

 neck of a mummified fisherman from a tomb at Pachacamac. The specimen 

 reproduced in figure 326 is perforated for suspension. One of the arms is broken 

 off. The type is more refined than that figured by Squier. 



1 J. T. and J. I. de Bry. Collectiones peregrinationum in Indiam orientalem et Indiam 

 occidentalem, part VIII, pi. XVII, Francofurti ad Moenum, 1599. 



