COIL FEATHER CURRENCY OF SANTA CHUZ — ETHERIDQE. 291 



The only account I am acquainted with of the manufacture and 

 use of the Santa Cruz currency, is the following extract from 

 Codrington's work,^" already referred to: — 



" Feather money is peculiar to Santa Cruz ; it is made of the 

 red feathers from under the wings of a parrot, Trichoglossus 

 massena. The birds are caught in the deep bush, where they are 

 very tame, with bird-lime smeared on a rod which a man carries 

 in his hand, and on which they perch ; he must take care not to 

 eat anything hot or fat, or they will not come near him. The 

 small red feathers are first gummed on to pigeon's feathers, and 

 these are bound on to a prepared foundation in rows, so that only 

 the red is seen. A length of this feather money, called tavau, 

 about fifteen feet long, is coiled up and packed with peculiar 

 ornaments. Short pieces are made for convenience in arranging 

 about prices. On festive occasions the dancing ground nava, 

 fenced round with huge discs of coral, is hung with the uncoiled 

 feather-money of those who make the feast. The people say that 

 formerly they had also shell-money. Though this feather money 

 is peculiar to Santa Cruz, there is in the Banks' Islands, in Santa 

 Maria and Meralava, where the soin shells are not found, a medium 

 of exchange of the same character. The little feathers near the 

 eye of fowls are bound on strings, and generally dyed a fine 

 crimson ; these are used as necklaces or anklets, by way of orna- 

 ment and distinction {kole ivetapiij)), but also pass very much in 

 the way of money." 



This feather currency appears to be comparatively rare in 

 collections, and I shall be glad to be informed of those cabinets 

 possessing specimens. The following are known to me : — 



1. Collection of the Rev. Alfred Penny (figured by Edge- 

 Partington.) 



2. Example obtained by Mr. John Jennings, in 1897, and now 

 believed to be in the British Museum, London. 



3. Australian Museum, Sydney. 



10 Codrington — Loc. cit., p. 324. 



