wonderful Flyssa

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Dom,
This is absolutely outstanding information Dom!! Please dont apologize, this is exactly the kind of valuable input I have always hoped for in these discussions, actual firsthand observations.
My comments were of course based on speculation from notes through the years and examples seen, but without direct information such as you have provided here.
I still believe that these rather unusual variations occurred later in the 19th century, and the rough execution of the motif suggests somewhat less than skilled work on many of them. The note that confirms the collapse of the well established sword making industry in Kabylia after 1871 confirms the note by Lacoste that there was dramatic decrease in quality in these weapons by that time (paraphrased from conversations with Louis Pierre Cavaille).

Thank you so much for adding this Dom, and as always for your valuable contributions in these discussions. My notes are amended accordingly

All the very best,
Jim