NATIVE ORNAMENTS. 217 



canine teeth alone are used in making* one of the 

 last description^ the number of dog-s required to 

 complete a sing*le necklace must be considerable. 

 A round thin^ concave piece of shell {Melo Uthio- 

 pica)y with a central black portion^ is often worn 

 suspended by a string- round the neck^ and similar 

 ornaments^ but much smaller^ are attached to the 

 hips and elbows. The long- nose-stick of shell is 

 only occasionally worn^ althoug^h every one^ of either 

 seX; has the septum of the nose pierced for its recep- 

 tion^— an operation most likely performed during 

 infancy^ as I once saw that it had been done to a 

 child about a year old. 



Nearly all the men carried in their hair a comb 

 projecting" in front or on one side. This article is 

 usually made of w^ood^ but occasionally of tortoise- 

 shelly a foot in lengthy thin^ flat^ and narrow^ wdth 

 about six very long*^ slig'htly diverging-^ needle- 

 shaped teeth^ but it admits of much variety of size 

 and shape^ and frequently has various ornaments 

 attached to it. The spatula used by betel chewers 

 to introduce the lime to the mouthy although often 

 made of tortoise-shell and resembling- that fig-ured 

 on a preceding' pag'e^ is more commonly made of 

 cocoa-nut wood^ with a massive handle, deeply 

 divided by a slit^ and w^hen struck upon the knee it 

 is made to produce a loud clicking' noise like that of 

 castanets. 



