134 



Art. YII. — A. Mîit.sumiira : 



Fig. 57. — Plates of tortoise-shtll, Palau. 



liptical in shape. It is skilfully made and has a string attached to 

 the bottom by which it may be hung (Fig. 57). As for the spoons 



of the same material, 

 they are of various 

 sizes and forms, all, 

 however, with a well- 

 formed oval bowl. 

 Some of the spoons have a string of beads attached to the handle 

 for ornament. Those plates and spoons are said to be used when 

 people eat fish or taro on special occasions. 



e. Natural Objects as Utensils. — Among natural objects used 

 as culinary utensils, shells of a certain kind serve as spoons, well- 

 polished cups and water-bottles obtained from the coconut shell 

 may also be mentioned. We need not, here, say anything about 

 the coconut or coconut tree, since concerning the different uses to 

 which it is put, a description has already been given in Part I. 

 The water-bottle in Palau, however, has some peculiar features. 

 Its lid, which is made of the tridacna, is flat on one side and con- 

 vex on the other, being elliptic in shape and 8 cm. in longer and 

 6*5 cm. in shorter diameter, while it has two holes 



for passing a cord through them (Fig. 58). This 

 shell lid, however, is now out of fashion and re- 

 mains rather as a relic of the past, being supersed- 

 ed by the wooden lid. The writer is not sure 

 whether the same is also found in the East Caroline ^^Q- 58.— sbeii 



lid for water- 

 group, for he failed to see even the wooden lid bottle, Paiau. 



used. 



f. Backs. — As mentioned here and there, |)ractically' all the 

 wx)odeii or tortoise-shell utensils for food in ]?alau have cords or 

 strings attached for the convenience of hanginor them. In the East 



