EARTHENWARE WHISTLE FROM NICARAGUA.
The Pito, or Whistle, was a simpler instrument than the Ollita. It, also, was frequently made of baked clay, and in odd shapes. The one shown in the following cut was found on the Island del Zapatero, in Lake Nicaragua, which was also a possession of the Nahuas.
Two apertures lead into the cavity of the instrument. When they are closed with the fingers, a higher note is produced than when they are open.
In the investigations prosecuted in Nicaragua by Dr. J. F. Bransford, he discovered many of these whistles in ancient burial mounds. Indeed, in the district of Nicoya, inhabited at the period of the Conquest by the Mangues, he states that "every body appeared to have been interred with a small earthen vessel and a whistle."[38] The latter are usually of odd shapes, representing some animal.
The following cuts are taken from his report:—
WHISTLES FROM NICARAGUAN BURIAL MOUNDS.