334 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



made between the two in regard to the glyphs at least. In. 

 one case (PI. 18, fig. 18), the wrinkled skin of the head and 

 neck is indicated much as in the case of the king vulture. 

 A few other glyphs are shown (PL 18, figs. 16, 19, 22, 27), 

 as well as a variety from the Nuttall Codex in which the mi- 

 nute hair-like feathers of the head are variously represented, 

 usually much exaggerated as a sort of crest or comb. PL 18, 

 fig. 22, is interesting as being the only case in the Maya codices 

 where the whole figure is shown in the glyph. As noted in 

 the case of the glyphs of the king vulture, the greater number 

 of these occur quite alone. They seem to indicate that a 

 full drawing of the bird is meant to be understood as occur- 

 ring below. 



Several of the carved glyphs (PL 19, figs. 8-10) show the 

 black vulture heads in some detail with the conspicuously 

 open nostril and hooked beak. , A carving of the entire 

 bird may be shown on Stela D from Copan (PL 28, fig. 5), 

 where the naked head and neck are marked off by lines indi- 

 cating wrinkled skin. The same lines on the neck of the 

 bird depicted on PL 28, fig. 2, will probably identify it as a 

 vulture, and, if the square ornament above the beak certainly 

 is part of the figure, it is unquestionably the king vulture. 

 The knob is not, however, clearly on the bird's beak. There 

 are two interesting glyphs which occur on the eastern fa9ade 

 of the Monjas at Chichen Itza. The glyphs in this inscrip- 

 tion are unlike the usual Maya hieroglyphs, although several 

 of the so-called constellation signs can be made out. The 

 two glyphs in question represent the entire body possibly 

 of a vulture, that on PL 17, fig. 13, probably the king vulture, 

 and that on PL 18, fig. 14, the black vulture. 



Harpy Eagle {Tkrasaetos harpyia). In the Nuttall 

 Codex, what is undoubtedly the harpy eagle is of frequent 

 occurrence. This great bird is not uncommon in the forests 

 of southern Mexico and Central America, and must have 

 attracted the notice of the people from its size. The 

 elongated feathers at the back of the head form a conspicuous 

 crest, a feature that characterizes this species in most of the 



