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sentations of animals have been discovered, whilst the rock- 
engravings of South America represent figures so grotesque as 
scarcely to be recognized. Care should, however, be taken to 
distinguish between true representative art, however rude, 
which is the best attempt of natives to depict the objects 
truthfully, and conventionalized symbols, which are merely 
based upon the forms of nature. These, although of the utmost 
interest, come more properly under the head of writing or orna¬ 
mentation, and must not be confounded with the former. The 
three branches, drawing , writing , and ornamentation , spring 
from a common centre; and the traveller should make it his best 
endeavour to classify the rock sculptures, carvings, and drawings 
of savages under one or other of these headings, assigning to 
each its true signification. 
1. Have the natives a natural aptitude for drawing ? 2. Do 
they draw animals in preference to other subjects? 3. Are 
the most conspicuous features, such as the head, nose, &c., 
generally exaggerated ? 4. Have they the least knowledge of 
perspective ? 5. Are the more distant objects drawn smaller 
than those nearer ? 6. Are the more important personages or 
objects drawn larger than the others? 7. Do their drawings 
represent imaginary animals or animals now extinct ? 8. Do 
they evince a tendency to introduce uniformity into the repre¬ 
sentation of irregular objects, such as trees, so as to produce a 
symmetrical pattern ? 9. Are the drawings:—a, historical 
(XVIII.) ; b , religious (XXX.) ; c, obscene; d , symbolical or 
hieroglyphic (LXXI.) ; e, ornamental (LXXIII.) ; /, badges or 
tribal marks, heraldic (LXIV.); g , copies from nature ; h , 
imaginative designs; i, topographical; k, scribbles to occupy 
idle time, without any definite meaning? 10. Are events 
of different periods depicted in the same drawing? 11. Have 
they any conventional modes of representing certain objects? 
12. Do they draw from nature, or copy each other’s drawings ? 
13. Do they, in copying from one another, vary the designs 
through negligence, inability, or other causes, so as to lose sight 
of the original objects, and produce conventional forms, the 
meaning of which is otherwise inexplicable ? if so, it would be 
of great interest to obtain series of such drawings, showing the 
gradual departure from the original designs. 14. Do they 
readily understand European drawings ? 15. Do they show any 
aptitude in copying European designs? 16. What are the 
materials usually employed for drawing ? and with what tools 
are the carvings and engravings made r 17. What colours are 
