ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 301 



the gods may provide an abundance of flowers for the bees 

 (Landa, 1864, p. 306).* 



It seems clear therefore that we have represented in the 

 pages of the Tro-Cortesianus referred to, the rites carried out in 

 this connection. The more or less reahstic drawings of the bees 

 (PI. 2, figs. 1-6,9) represent the god of the bees and to him offer- 

 ings of food and incense are being made. PL 2, fig. 11, shows 

 the war god (M) with his eagle head-dress offering a mass of 

 honey in the comb to the god of the bees. 



Curiously enough the bee does not seem to be represented in 

 the Dresden Codex. Forstemann's identification of the head- 

 dress of the goddess in Dresden 9a as a bee does not seem to us 

 to be correct. 



In addition to the bees, there occurs in the Nuttall Codex 4 

 (PI. 3, fig. 4) a curious representation of an insect with a pointed 

 beak-hke structure and a spine at the posterior extremity of its 

 human-Hke body. It is engaged in apparent conflict with a 

 man and may represent a hornet. 



Blow-fly (Sarcophaga) . Two figures in the Tro-Corte- 

 sianus (PI. 3, figs. 1, 2) are of special interest since they appear 

 to have been frequently regarded as picturing snakes attacking 

 men. These are thick-bodied sinuous creatures distinguished by 

 the curious conformation of the mouth and by a lateral row of 

 dots that may represent the metameric spiracles or, as com- 

 monly, a demarcation between dorsal and ventral surfaces. 

 That these are maggots of a blow-fly (Sarcophaga) there can be 

 little doubt, not only on account of their mouth parts which are 

 similar to those of the agave maggot (see later) but also because 

 of their relation to God F whom they are devouring. The latter 

 in fig. 1 is doubtless dead as shown by the closed eye and it is the 

 habit of the blow-fly to deposit its eggs in the nasal cavity of 

 dead animals as well as elsewhere on the body. The fact that 

 in each case a maggot is attacking the god's nose may indicate 

 that this habit was known to the artist who, consequently, 



* " En este mes (Mol) tornavan los colmenares a hazer otra fiesta como 

 la que hizieron en Tzec, para que los dioses proveessen de floras a las 

 avejas." 



