205 
A 
HEAD SCULPTURED IN HARD STONE 
BY THE 
MUrSCA INDIANS. 
\ 
BRACELET OF OBSIDIAN. 
PLATE LXVI. 
The sculptured head is the work of the ancient 
inhabitants of the kingdom of New Grenada. 
The stone, considered by some mineralogists as 
a smaragdite^ is undoubtedly nothing but a green 
quartz passing into hornstone. Perhaps this 
quartz, of extreme hardness, is tinged, like the 
chr^soprase, by the oxid of nickel. It is per- 
forated in such a manner, that the openings of 
the cylindric hole are in planes cutting each 
other at right angles. We may suppose, that 
this perforation was made by means of tools of 
copper mixed with tin ; for iron was not used 
either by the Muyscas or the Peruvians. 
