before the influence of Europeans was much felt in Guiana. As has already been said, the engravings are of two kinds, and

are probably the work of two different people; nor is there

even any reason to suppose at one and the same time.

that the two kinds were produced

हर

These two kinds of engravings may, for the sake of convenience, be distinguished as 'deep' (Fig. 36, p. 393) and 'shallow' (Fig. 35, p. 392) respectively, according as the figures are deeply cut into the rock or are merely scratched on the surface. The former (Fig. 37) vary from one-eighth to one-half of an inch, or even more, in depth; the latter are of quite inconsiderable depth. This difference probably corresponds with a difference in the means by which they were produced. The deep engravings seem cut into the rock with an edged tool, probably of stone; the shallow figures were apparently formed by long continued friction with stones and moist sand. The two kinds seem never to occur in the same place, or even near to each other; in fact, a distinct line may almost be drawn between the districts in which the deep and the shallow kinds occur respectively. The deep form (Plate 9) occurs at several spots on the Mazeruni, Essequibo, Ireng, Cotinga, Potaro and Berbice rivers. The shallow form has as yet only been reported from the Corentyn river and its tributaries, where, however, examples occur in considerable abundance. But the two kinds differ not only in the depth of incision, in the apparent mode of their production, and in the place of their occurrence, but also-and this is the chief difference between the two-in the figures represented. This will best be explained by describing examples of each kind.

On Temehri rock, which lies in mid-stream some little distance below the Wanitoba cataracts on the Corentyn river, there is a very fine example of shallow engraving. (Fig. 37.) The Carib word temehri means 'painted,' or perhaps rather 'marked'; thus the figure now under notice has given name to the rock. The engraving represents the single figure, the

In connection with this word a curious fact is pointed out by Schomburgk. There is a tree in Guiana called 'letter-wood' or 'speckle-wood,' because of the curious marking of its heart-wood. Harcourt, in his Relation of a Voyage to Guiana, published in 1626, says of it, 'There is a hard, heavy, red-speckled wood in that country, called Paira timinere' (p. 48). Aublet's scientific name for letter-wood-tree is Piratenera guianensis. Schomburgk remarks, truly enough, that it is called by the Caribs and Macusis

DEEP AND SHALLOW ROCK-ENGRAVINGS.

395

outline of which is, with one exception, always represented in these shallow engravings. It may be described as a rectangular figure, of greater height than width, crowned by a semicircle marked with distinct radii. This outline is filled in by a pattern of straight lines; which, unlike the outline, is not always the same as at Temehri, and is indeed often considerably varied. The whole height of the figure

on Temehri rock is thirteen feet, its greatest width five feet seven inches; but figures of this sort vary very considerably in dimensions, though they are always much larger than are the figures of the deep sculptures. It is, as is indeed usual, very indistinct, and, except in certain lights, it is almost Paira; and timinere (or timehri) signifies painted;' and this writer adds, by making a slight error, that this term of 'painted' is given to it 'to distinguish it from a species which is not speckled.' As a matter of fact, the name of the letter-wood-tree is simply Paira; and Paira temehri is used to distinguish the marked or painted' heart-wood from the unmarked sapwood. But the important point is, that Aublet made his scientific generic name for the tree by corrupting the Indian term Paira timinere into the pseudo-Latin word Piratenera, and thus ran the risk of offering a most hard nut to future etymologists to crack.

invisible until water has been poured over the surface of the rock. To obtain a photograph, it was necessary carefully to mark the lines of the figure with white chalk, and one or two of the lines being accidentally left unmarked, these are not shown in the photograph.

In Downer's map of Berbice, published in 1844, are shown two rock-drawings supposed to occur on Temehri island, which is also in the Corentyn river, some little distance below Temehri rock. Both of these, as represented on the map, are very peculiar. In one, an upright line has several volutes starting from each side of it. Nothing of this sort occurs elsewhere, either in the shallow or the deep drawings. The other is an extraordinary combination-also such as has been seen nowhere else-apparently of straighthandled tridents. In the map it has a most suspiciously modern look, but as after careful search I failed to find any such figure on the island-which is very small-I need say no more about it. The original of the figure of six volutes I found. At first sight it does look as in the map; but if carefully traced-for it is very indistinct-it becomes evident that it is of quite different nature. Curiously enough, however, though, according to depth of gravure, it certainly belongs to the shallow class of engravings, yet the figure represented bears little resemblance to the figures otherwise universal in this class; it must, however, be added that it is still more unlike the character of the figures represented in the deep engravings.

Several other shallow drawings, apparently hitherto unrecorded, occur on this island. Some are so indistinct that I was unable to decipher and draw them. Another, which was almost entirely hidden by a tree which had grown over it, and which had to be cut down before the figure became visible to any but the sharp eye of the Indians, is a fine example of the common figure of the shallow class.

Another very good example of a rock-drawing of the shallow class exists at the side of the first fall on the Cabalebo, a large tributary running into the Corentyn on the eastern

DEEP AND SHALLOW ENGRAVINGS.

397

side. At first sight I saw that this engraving, though evidently of the shallow class, did not represent the normal figure. It is distinctly visible from a distance, but hardly perceptible from any point, but one, near the rock. It is on the eastern face of a gneiss boulder-five feet high at its highest point and seven and a half feet wide-which stands at the edge of the fall, and is partly surrounded by shallow water. When the river is full, the rock and the figure must be partly submerged. The incision is very slight indeed and much worn, indeed some parts of the figure have evidently been worn away. After carefully examining the rock from all points of view and from all distances, I could trace, partly by sight and partly by touch, some additional strokes, and these additional strokes, now almost obliterated, bring the figure very near to that represented on Temehri rock.

Scattered along the Corentyn and also on the Berbice rivers-in which latter place, however, there are also apparently examples of deep engravings-are other shallow examples, more or less resembling those which I have described. They may, therefore, be said to be confined, as regards Guiana, to the eastern district.

They seem always to occur on comparatively large and more or less smooth surfaces of rock, and rarely, if ever, as the deep figures, on detached blocks of rock, piled one on the other. The shallow figures, too, are generally much larger, always combinations of straight or curved lines in figures much more elaborate than those which occur in the deep engravings; and these shallow pictures always represent not animals, but greater or less variations of the figure which has been described. Lastly, though I am not certain that much significance can be attributed to this, all the examples that I have seen face more or less accurately eastward.

The deep engravings, on the other hand, consist not of a single figure, but of a greater or less number of rude drawings (Fig. 36, p. 393). These depict the human form, monkeys, snakes, and other animals, and also very simple combinations of two or three straight or curved lines in a pattern, and occasion