Archeology and Anthropology. 87 
They are called in China theou-kowang-kien, or mirrors that are 
penetrated by light, an expression which portrays a popular error. 
Ju-tsin-hing, who lived between 1260 and 1341, wrote on the 
subject as follows: “ Here is the cause of that phenomenon which 
proves the employment separately of fine and coarse copper. If 
they have produced in the founding in a mould a dragon arranged 
in a circle, on the face of the mirror they engrave deeply an exactly 
similar dragon. Then, with copper a little denser, they fill up the 
deep cuts of the chisel, submit the mirror to the action of fire, after 
which they level and dress the face and give it a light coating of 
tin. en its image is reflected on the wall, it presents the clear 
tints and dark tints which proves that the one is of the portions of 
purer copper and the other of the coarser parts.” ! He claims to 
have seen a broken mirror which was so constructed. Aside from 
physical reasons, the cheapness of the kagami refutes the idea of 
this extremely difficult process to make a common toilet article. 
An amusing interpretation of the riddle was brought out on 
questioning several Japanese. They said that magic mirrors are 
caused by earthquake shocks occurring just when the metal is being 
poured into the mould; the shock rearranges the particles and 
alters the reflecting powers. Workmen sometimes jar the flasks to 
produce the effect during the rare absence of an earth tremor in 
that land of seismic disturbances. Just how much magic comes 
from the great fish whose uneasy slumber causes earthquakes, 
according to Japanese folk-lore, has not been found out. 
However, in the course of these inquiries a fact was elicited of 
some importance. All mirrors are not “magic,” and they cannot 
be “made to order.” This may have some bearing on the theory or 
irregular tension relative to the pattern, and is a sufficient cause. 
Th 
; LUnivers, vol. vi.: Chine Moderne, vol. ii. p. 637. 
Science, July 2, 1886. 
