What's under this plate?

I never gave it much thought, but I figure it's a heat shield for the oil! The exhaust crossover is suppose to heat the carb for drivability, emissions, etc. Any oil that works its way above the shield gets cooked. But at least it gets trapped. If the shield wasn't there, oil splashed onto the underside of the intake at the exhaust crossover would get cooked on a regular basis and get recirculated into the engine.