8S 



4-7. Patti. — l^his is the generic name for " live " 

 shells fished off the north and north-western coasts of 

 Ceylon. There are several recognized grades of patti. 



4. Noyakhad Patti or standard Patti is the best 

 grade. The shells so distinguished are of good working 

 size, thick in substance, and of good colour ; the best of 

 them approach closely the Ramesvaram quality and fetch 

 wholesale from Rs. ']0 to Rs. 100 per 1,000 in the Calcutta 

 market. The name is. said to be the Bengal equivalent of 

 Neduntivu, otherwise Delft, an island near Jaffna, where 

 the majority are fished. Some shells of the same good 

 quality also come from the waters immediately north of 

 Mannar Island. 



Other qualities are — 



5. Small Patti o{ S2sa^ quality as grade 4, but of in- 

 ferior size and sometimes inferior colour. Worth Rs. 30 

 to 45 per 1,000 in Calcutta. 



6. Thin Patti. — Shells of inferior thickness obtained 

 from certain Jaffna waters. Worth about Rs. 25 per 1,000. 



7. Mixed Patti. — Neither this nor the preceding- 

 grade has come actually under my observation. The 

 present quality is said by the dealers to consist of mixed 

 shells of inferior quality and colour imported from Singa- 

 pore via Jaffna. The value ranges from Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 

 per 1,000 in Calcutta. 



8. Vhola. — Dead, sub-fossil chanks from the shallow 

 muddy lagoons in the neighbourhood of JafTna, Ceylon. 

 These are found by probing with an iron rod in the soft 

 mud. They are chalky and lustreless and are used for 

 the cheapest and most inferior grades of bracelets. A 

 considerable proportion of the large sizes are found and 

 these sell for Rs. 5 to 6 per 100 in Calcutta ; the small 

 sizes from Rs. 3 to 4 per 100. 



This quality is the one principally employed in 

 making the compound bracelets or gauntlets of 10 to 

 12 rings affected by low-caste Hindu women in Northern 

 Bengal — Paliya caste very largely. 



9. Gkarbaki. — A class of squat shells badly adapted 

 for economical cutting coming from the Carnatic coast, 

 from Point Callmere in the south to Madras in the north. 

 To the defect of shape, they add that of colour, these 

 shells being frequently distinguished by a marked redness 

 of the inner surface. They are also said to be more 



