ROWS OF death's HEADS. 



135 



was extraordinary. The engraving which follows rep- 

 resents one of them. 



At the time of our visit, we had no doubt that these 

 were death's heads ; but it has been suggested to me 

 that the drawing is more like the scull of a monkey 

 than that of a man. And, in connexion with this re- 

 mark, I add what attracted our attention, though not 

 so forcibly at the time. Among the fragments on this 

 side were the remains of a colossal ape or baboon^ 

 strongly resembling in outline and appearance the four 

 monstrous animals which once stood in front attached 

 to the base of the obelisk of Luxor, now in Paris, ^ and 

 which, under the name of Cynocephali, were worship* 

 ped at Thebes. This fragment was about six feet high. 

 The head was wanting ; the trunk lay on the side of the 

 pyramid, and we rolled it down several steps, when it 

 fell among a mass of stones, from which we could not 

 disengage it. We had no such idea at the time, but 

 it is not absurd to suppose the sculptured sculls to be 

 intended for the heads of monkeys, and that these ani- 



* As it stands in Paris, these figures are wanting to make it complete as it 

 stood at Thebes, the obelisk alone having been removed. 



