302 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



shows the larvae in this position. In PI. 3, fig. 2, the god's eye 

 is not closed but his passive attitude while the maggot devours 

 his hand and nose does not indicate that he is in full possession 

 of his strength. In addition to the blow-fly, a screw-fly {Chryso- 

 myia) lays its eggs on the bodies of animals, often on persons 

 sleeping, and these may hatch almost at once into small maggots 

 that penetrate the skin. It may be, therefore, that the larvae 

 here considered belong to this genus. 



In addition to god F, in Tro-Cortesianus 24d, there is 

 another representation of the same god being attacked by a 

 vulture. This bird is evidently eating his nose. In this case 

 the god is shown with the closed eye as in 27d. In Tro-Corte- 

 sianus 25d the fly seems to be attacking the mouth of god F. 

 From the fact that no other god is ever found in this connection 

 it may be suggested that there may be some relation between 

 god F as a god of human sacrifice and the fact that his dead 

 body is being eaten by blow-flies and vultures. A portion of 

 the body of the person sacrificed was usually eaten by those 

 taking part in the ceremony. 



Lepidopterous Insects. In Tro-Cortesianus 28c (PI. 3, 

 fig. 3) is shown a second insect larva with curiously formed 

 mouth parts. It is represented as attacking agave which is 

 springing from the ground as shown by the Caban signs in the 

 codex. Hough (1908, p. 591) has shown this to be the larva of 

 Acentrocneme kollari Felder, ''called by the Mexicans guson, 

 and in Nahuatl mescuillin." This grub, he says, is white, about 

 an inch long, and tunnels the fleshy leaves of the agave. It is 

 greatly prized as an article of food for "gusones to this day are 

 collected in April, boiled, wrapped in the epidermis of the agave, 

 sold on the streets of Mexico, and are eaten with avidity. To 

 all appearances they are nourishing and palatable, and it is 

 said that connoisseurs prefer them to oysters or swallows' nests.' ' 

 Hough beheves "that the discovery of the sap-yielding quahty 

 of the agave was through search for these larvae. ' ' 



In the Nuttall Codex occur numerous representations of 

 insects, some of which appear to represent butterflies or moths 

 (PI. 3, figs. 5-8) but these are quite unidentifiable. That shown 



