20 AMERICAN MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLETS 



ders. Some jars show the manner of catching fish by means of hook 

 and line, while others portray men and women carrying water jars and 

 other burdens by means of a strap passing around the forehead. Here 

 we see a man with his favorite bird, evidently of the parrot family, 

 perched upon his shoulder; there a dance in progress, with several of 

 the figures playing upon musical instruments. 



These potters were very fond of moulding their clay into animal 

 forms, and they have left us more or less truthful representations of 

 many of the species familiar to them. Their favorite models appear to 

 have been the puma, jaguar, monkey, llama, (iiiinea-pig, 

 figures lizards, birds of the parrot family, the king vulture and a 



number of shells and vegetable forms. A complete list would 

 include most of the animal and many of the vegetable forms of Peru. 



Everywhere, except in the most elevated parts of the country, maize 

 was not only the staple food of the people, but also was the source of 

 their favorite intoxicating beverage, — chicha; hence it was but natural 

 that they should so often represent the grain on their vessels. This 

 was very simply and perfectly accomplished. A mould was 

 made from an ear of corn and dried in the sun or fired. Into 

 this clay was pressed ; which on being removed would be a Facsimile of 

 the ear. This was joined to the jar while both were still in a plastic 

 condition, after which the whole was fired and polished. A corn jar 

 is represented in the illustration on page 17. 



Although this guide relates chiefly to burials, it may not be out of 



place to call attention to some peculiarities of Peruvian skulls. The 



skulls of all races are of great scientific value, but those of Peru are of 



particular interest, because many of them bear the marks of surgical or 



sacrificial operations. The Museum collection of Peruvian 



skulls is so extensive that only a representative series is on 

 skulls . ' ii- 



exhibition. This contains many examples showing tre- 

 phining, artificial deformation and pathological conditions, together 

 with several normal Peruvian skulls for purposes of comparison. 



In Peru, where stones from slings and wooden clubs with heads of 

 stone and copper were the common offensive weapons, complex fractures 

 of the skull with depression of its bony plates must have been common. 

 There seems no reason to doubt that trephining was resorted to as a 

 means of relief in such fractures, and that sometimes cures were effected 

 by this treatment. It is also probable that the operation in many 



