324 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



AVES 



Herons (Ardea herodias; Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis). 

 Only a few water birds are shown in the Maya works. Several 

 are found, however, that seem to picture herons (PL 15, figs. 

 1-7). The best of these (fig. 5), a carving from the west 

 side panel of the Temple of the Cross at Palenque shows a 

 crested heron standing on one foot and holding in its bill a 

 fish. A second figure (PI. 15, fig. 1) is from the stucco orna- 

 ment from the Palace, House B, at Palenque. It is less 

 carefully executed, but seems to be a long-necked bird with 

 a crest and outspread wings curiously conventionalized. 

 In the Nuttall Codex there is another unmistakable heron 

 (PI. 15, fig. 4) with the same general characteristics, though 

 the crest is less prominent, here represented as a series of 

 erectile feathers separated at their tips. This elongation 

 of the crest seems to be carried still farther* in what seems 

 to be the head and neck of a heron from Dresden 37b (PI. 15, 

 fig. 3) with erectile feathers at intervals along its length. 



The heron is seldom employed as a head-dress. In the 

 Lower Chamber of the Temple of the Tigers at Chichen Itza, 

 one of the warriors wears a bird head-dress (PL 15, fig. 2), 

 which from the length of the bill is probably made from a 

 heron's head, though the crest seems greatly exaggerated. 

 The bas-relief on which this is found is strongly Nahua in 

 feeling and execution. This head covering may indicate, 

 according to the Nahua fashion, the tribe to which the warrior 

 belongs. Again in Dresden 36a (PL 15, fig. 7), a man is 

 shown wearing as a head-dress the head and neck of a heron 

 that holds in its bill a fish. This head resembles very closely 

 that of the heron in^ fig. 1. What appears to be a similar 

 head is shown in PL 15, fig. 6. It is interesting to note that 

 the heron with a fish (PL 15, fig. 5) from Palenque also forms 

 a part of a complicated head-dress. 



It is, of course, uncertain to which of the several herons 

 occurring in Central America these representations refer. 

 Possibly the Great Blue heron (Ardea herodias) or the Louisi- 



