as indicative of another characteristic of the dog. This he
believes also to be the signification of the Tzental term _elab_. This
it seems to me is again reversing the order, unless we assume that the
Quiche _tzi_ and Mexican _itzcuintli_ are the older terms.[240-1]

Dr Brinton says that according to Bartolome de Pisa the Zapotec name
signifies "dog," though he does not find it with this meaning in the
vocabularies. Dr Seler, however, obtains the signification "dog" for
this name by supposing that it is derived from _tee-lao_, "mouth
downward," referring to some myth of a dog representing the lightning,
or lightning demon, as falling or plunging downward from the sky in
certain figures of the codices. This, Dr Brinton says, "seems strained,"
which may also be said of the explanations of the Maya name.

The symbol of the dog as found in the Dresden Codex (13c), and as
admitted by Dr Seler, is shown in plate LXV, 59. The same symbol is
found in the same codex, 21b. Now, I think it possible to show, with a
considerable degree of certainty, what is the chief phonetic element of
this symbol, at least of its first or left-hand character. In plate LXV,
60, from Tro. 22*a, is seen (omitting the prefix) substantially the
symbol that Landa interprets _le_, "the lasso," and also "to lasso." As
the lower character is his _e_, we may take for granted that the upper
portion indicates the _l_ sound; further evidence of this, however, will
be presented under the twentieth day. As this is followed by the symbol
seen in plate LXV, 61, which refers to the "turkey" (kutz or
cuitz),[240-2] and the figure below the text shows a snared turkey, the
interpretation appears to be appropriate. Turning now to Dres. 44 (l)c,
we notice in the picture below the text the compound glyph shown in
plate LXV, 62. Immediately below it is the figure of a fish, which the
two individuals represented are trying to catch in a seine. As this
contains the same elements as 61 (plate LXV), reversed, the phonetic
value should be _tz'c_. Referring to Perez' Lexicon, we find that _tzac_
is a fish "so named;" Brasseur says, "a little fish resembling a sardine
which inhabits the senotes."

Now these give _tz'_ as the chief phonetic element of the left character
of the dog symbol (LXV, 59), which is also the consonant element of the
name for "dog" (_tzi_) in the Tzental, Cakchiquel, and most of the Maya
dialects, though not of the Maya proper. This furnishes a consiste