14- Bulletin of Wisconsin Natural History Society. Vol. 1, No. 1. 
to conjecture, but the latter assumption seems to have more proba- 
bility in its favor. 
Having given our view on the lizard and panther question, we 
will quote also opposite holdings. 
Dr. S. D. Peet in an article published some years ago in his 
American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal, offers the following 
kindly criticism of Dr. Lapham's identifications of effigies, which 
we take the liberty to quote in part : 
Dr. 1. A. Lapham published a work over thirty 
years ago in which animal effigies were shown in great numbers. 
This work is deserving of great praise as the surveying and plot- 
tings are in the main correct." 
'*He called panthers, lizards and birds, crosses. But other ani- 
mals he did recognize and the work done by him is worthy of confi- 
dence." 
There are numerous and weighty reasons why a correct identifi- 
cation of the animals is highly desirable, these have been so well 
outlined in other publications of note that we will not attempt to 
repeat them here. 
(See American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal, pp. 126-199, 
Vol. VI.) 
Suffice it to say that a proper recognition of the animals repre- 
sented would clear up many disputed points and generally tend to 
increase the popular interest in the effigies themselves. 
We further quote Dr. S. D. Peet as follows, (pp. 187-188, Vol. 
VL, Am. Antiq. and Oriental Jour.). "The (observer) will notice 
that the animals are represented mainly in motion and in the 
motion which would be peculiar to the animals inhabiting the 
different elements. 
''i. The lizard and muskrat are represented as crawling or 
swimming, the birds as flying, and the fish as floating; the three 
classes corresponding to the three elements." 
"These are the different methods of representing this. 
''i. The land animals were universally represented with the 
legs on one side. 
"2. The amphibious animals, such as the lizard, turtle and 
muskrat, are all represented with their legs on both sides, as if in 
the attitude of swimming. 
''3. The birds, on the other hand, all have their wings ex- 
tended as if in the act of flying. 
"4. The fish is represented with the body alone, no particular 
part of the animal being present." 
''The effigies are all good representations of the animal shapes : 
the attitudes, of the animals are also natural, but the manner of 
