1878. | - Anthropology. 401 
temala. Several years ago Dr. Habel resigned a lucrative medi- 
cal practice in New York to visit Central America. While in 
Guatemala he came upon these interesting remains which he 
cleared away at great expense of time and labor, and the sculp- 
tures of which he copied with the greatest accuracy. These 
slabs resemble the best sculptures of Mexico and Central 
America in the objects represented, and in the barbaric exhuber- 
ance of ornament. There are two features which are almost 
unique, the symbol for speech, and for numerals. The speech 
symbol consists of a vine-like ridge proceeding from the mouth 
or neck of the suppliant or of the divinity and winding about in 
various shapes. The staff or ridge is adorned with nodes and 
trefoils in such positions and groups as to give great plausibility 
to Dr. Habel’s belief that the ornamented staff indicates the very 
desire or thought of the speaker. The numeral symbol consists 
of rows of rings accompanied by parallel and cross lines. The 
beauty and uniqueness of these sculptures will make Dr. Habel’s 
entitled, “ Die anthropologischen Sammlungen Deutschlands: 
ein Verzeichniss des in Deutschland vorhandenen anthropolo- 
i 
The Blackwater, Missouri, Mounds, zd.; Soapstone Quarry in 
Providence county, R. IL., éd.; 
ique, La Nature, March 
, 
Berücksichtigung. mexicanischer Sculpturen, I, H. Fischer, 
Archiv, x, 4; Lebensweise und Geräthe der süd-chilenischen Ind- 
lianer, Correspondensblatt, 1878, I. 
