292 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



same bird is often found as the head-dress of several different 

 gods as, for example, the turkey which appears with gods A, B, 

 C, E, and N. The vulture, on the other hand, when used as a 

 head-dress for male figures, appears exclusively with god F. 

 The whole bird is seldom represented on the head-dress of the 

 male figures. It is usually only the head and a part of the body 

 of the bird which forms but a portion of the whole head-cover- 

 ing. Landa (1864, p. 148)^' notes the dress of the leader in the 

 rites. He wears a jacket of red feathers worked with other 

 feathers and from it hang long plumes. He also wears a feather 

 head-dress. 



Entire birds appear as the sole head-covering only in con- 

 nection with female figures and then only in one section of the 

 Dresden (16-18) and a parallel passage in the Tro-Cortesianus 

 (94-95). In both these places the conception and the bearing 

 of children are shown together with their baptism. The bird 

 above the head of each female figure seems to be a badge 

 of office, possibly the totems which are held by the women and 

 given to the children. The parrot, quetzal, vulture, screech owl 

 and the horned owl appear in this connection. It is to be noted 

 that the birds associated with these women are not really re- 

 presented as head-dresses at all. They are quite different from 

 the head decoration composed of a bird's head and feathers 

 seen in other parts of the manuscripts. In the Dresden es- 

 pecially, these birds above the women's heads are shown in 

 almost every case standing with the claws clasping the necklace 

 at the back of the neck. Landa (1864, pp. 144-154) gives an 

 interesting account of the method of baptising children. He 

 also states (p. 304) f that in the month Yaxkin an old woman 

 brought the Httle girls to the general feast. This old woman 



* "Vestido salia con un jaco de pluma Colorado y labrado de otras 

 plumas de colores, y que le cuelgan de los estremos otras plumas largas 

 y una como coroza en la cabe9a de las mesmas plumas. " 



t " Y a las niSas se les dava una vieja, vestida de un habito de 

 plumas, que las traia alii y por esto la llamavan Ixmol, la allegadera. 

 .... Aquella devota vieja allegaria con que se emborachava en casa 

 por no perder la pluma del officio en el camino." 



