covered with the most elaborate and curious ornament, and with tables of hieroThe greater part of the ornament

glyphics and cartouches of picture-writing. is

formed from the grotesque representations of the human face or the faces of animals, the features frequently so greatly exaggerated that it is most difficult to recognize them, but a careful examination enables one almost invariably to trace back to this facial origin what, at first sight, appears to be merely conventional occasional Forms derived from leaves or flowers are altogether absent scrollwork. use is made of a plaited ribbon, and a very free use of plumes of feathers, which are The fifteen monuments are often most gracefully arranged and beautifully carved. divided into two groups ; in one the figures are all those of men, in the other of women*. It might be rash to argue from this, that women bad attained a high place in the social arrangement of the people who raised these monuments ; but there is one other feature that certainly may be admitted as showing an advanced and peaceful condition of existence, and that is the entire absence of any representation of weapons of war. The work of examining and copying the carvings at Quirigua was one of no it was necessary, after clearing away the thick undergrowth, to fell small difficulty the forest trees, and after an interval of about ten Jays, to run fire through the throughout these carvings

is

clearing.

The earth round the monuments had to be cleared away usually to the depth two or three feet, as, probably owing to floods from the river, the level of the a ground had considerably altered since they were originally placed in position scaffold had then to be built round each monument and the carving subjected to a This cleaning proved to be the most tedious part of careful and thorough cleaning. the work, as the stone was always covered with thick and adhesive growths of moss and lichen. Two of the animal-shaped monoliths were almost completely buried under huge forest trees, which had grown exactly on the top of them, and it was only by a chance notice of some carved stone appearing between the roots that I became aware I had one of these trees felled, but found the stones so much of their existence. crushed and destroyed by the pressure of the roots that nothing remained worth of

moulding. All provisions and

all

materials

for

graphic dry-plates, moulding-paper, lime,

the work, including such things as photooil,

and nearly four tons of plaster, had to be more usually on men's backs, from over a range of hills, along a track which

carried in small quantities, sometimes on mules, but

the port of Yzabal, about 24 miles distant,

proved almost impassable in bad weather.

We commenced work early in February, which is usually the beginning of the dry season, but unluckily during that whole month the rains continued and work was tarried on under the greatest difficuhies ; excavations were filled with water as soon as made, and no moulding could be done unless a water-tight roof was first built over the monument which was to be worked at. At one time the floods covered all but a few feet round the knoll on which we had built our palm-leaf shanty, everything in the camp turned green with mould and mildew, and snakes and scorpions were very troublesome, and mosquitoes were innumerable. Worse than all, the sick list increased, until at last twelve Indians were ill with fever on the same day, and the sound ones all After a long and tedious search I was able to engage other labourers, ran away home. and from that time matters began to mend: the Indian labourers suffering: from fever

• This statement raav need further consideration.