89 



brittle than Tuticorin shells and not to give the high 

 glaze when polished as do the latter shells. Karanuikhi 

 is a term sometimes employed for those of this quality 

 which are characteristically tinted a dirty brick-red at the 

 mouth opening. They vary greatly In quality and may 

 fetch anything from Rs. 40 to 80 per 1,000 In Calcutta. 

 Good average quality such as are fished on the Tanjore 

 coast should fetch Rs. 80 per 1,000 wholesale in Calcutta 

 without difficulty. A certain number of Inferior shells 

 with an undue proportion of small sizes come from the 

 French territories of Pondicherry and Karlkal ; it is 

 possible that these in part are fished in British waters and 

 surreptitiously carried to French territory owing to the 

 rule in force in Tanjore and South Arcot to confiscate all 

 undersized shells brouo-ht in for sale to Government. 

 The price of these French shells rules usually from 

 Rs. 20 to Rs. 25 per 1,000 less than for shells fished oft 

 the British districts owing to the larger proportion of 

 small sizes present. 



10. -Duani. — These shells are fished off" the Travan- 

 core coast. They are large and of excellent quality. They 

 come packed in cadjan mats, the large separated from the 

 small. The former fetch from Rs. 14 to Rs. 18 per 100 

 according to size, the smaller Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 per 100. 

 The larger run 100 to a bag — the smaller 200 to 250 per 

 bag. The total quantity imported into Calcutta seldom 

 exceeds 100 bags per annum. 



11. Sttrti. — The name is a corruption of Surat as 

 these shells were exported from that port prior to the rise 

 of Bombay. Now the whole export trade is concentrated 

 at the latter port, but the old trade designation survives. 

 The shells are fished off the Kathlawar coasts ; they are 

 often very large and of fine quality. Two sub-grades are 

 recognised of which the larger fetches Rs. 22 to Rs. 25 

 per 100 while the smaller runs from Rs. 8 to Rs. 10 per 

 100. The quantity imported is said to be about 80 bags 

 large (100 shells to a bag) and 1 20 bags of small (300 to a 

 bag). It must be understood that the prices given above 

 are approximate only ; they represent the average value 

 during the past two or three years. 



The sawn rings supplied from the wholesale cutting 

 factories at Dacca and some few other centres to local 

 bangle workshops widely scattered throughout Lower 



