ently
brings them into this relation. But in these places he gives the glyph
the signification "fire" or "flame." It is possible that in some of the
cases to which he refers he is correct, as, for example, in regard to
the figure shown in plate LXVIII, 30, from Dres. 25, where it is in the
midst of the blaze. If so, the word equivalent must be _kak_, as it is
seemingly a variant of _ik_, and hence may be supposed to have the _k_
sound. This will agree with his interpretation of plate LXVI, 29, by
_kinichkakmo_; but in this case we must give _ich_ as the value of the
so-called _ben_ symbol. This, however, is not so very objectionable, as
there are other places where the chief phonetic element of the _ben_
glyph appears to be _i_. It is also to be remembered that it is much
like Landa's _i_. It is likewise true, as will hereafter be shown, that
the value _ben_ does not appear to hold good where it occurs in
combination with other symbols. However, until a satisfactory rendering
of this little four-corner _ik_ (?) symbol in some other place than the
fire is found, I am hardly prepared to give full acceptance to Dr
Seler's supposition.

The Zapotec names are somewhat difficult to bring into harmony with the
others. Dr Brinton's solution is as follows:

In that tongue we have _uii_, air, wind; _chiic_, breath; which we
may bring into relation with _gui_; and we find _guiiebee_,
wind-and-water cloud (nube con vient y agua). Dr Seler prefers to
derive _gui_ from _quii_, fire, flame, the notion of which is often
associated with wind.

It was probably this notion and the fact that the little four-corner
_ik_ (?) symbol is sometimes seen in the flame, which caused this
authority to believe the symbol denotes "fire," "flame." In the
manuscript Zapotec vocabulary by E. A. Fuller, "wind" is _bii_.

Dr Brinton thinks that _ni_ is the radical of _nici_, to grow, increase,
gain life. He says:

_Laa_, or _laala_, is a word of many meanings, as warmth, heat,
reason, or intelligence. The sense common to all these expressions
seems to be that of life, vitality.

The form of the Mexican symbol for the day _Ehecatl_ (wind), shown in
plate LXIV, 34, and also of the mouths of the female figures on plates
26 and 28, Troano Codex, which are emblematic of the storm, appear to be
taken from the bird bill. The bird, as is well known, is a wind symbol
with many peoples. It has been so esteemed among sev