147 



Mexico, and Peru. The kouas, and especially 

 the ho-tous, are perhaps only a linear imitation* 

 of the quippus ; for the first of the eight tri- 

 grammata contains also unbroken lines, like the 

 hieroglyphics of the Dresden manuscript. We 

 shall not decide, whether these, in which points 

 are often intermixed with parallel lines, express 

 numeric quantities, a list of tributes for instance ; 

 or whether they be real cursive characters. 



* Palin de l'Etude des Hieroglyphes, 1812, torn, i, page 

 38, 107, 114, 120 ; torn, v, page 19, 31, and 112 i Souciet 

 and Gaubil, Observ. Astron. torn, ii, page 88 and 187 j torn, 

 iii, page 4, fig. 7. 



