40 Report of a Journey Around the World. 



"Natural and Artificial Vessels. 



( Centre Cases.) 

 "The first vessels used by man were no doubt natural recep- 

 tacles such as shells, coconut shells and gourds. Sections of 

 bambu, and the horns and skins of animals, require a little more 

 preparation, whilst vessels of bark, wood, and stone are only of 

 natural origin as regards the materials of which they are made. 

 Baskets and earthenware pots were no doubt of relatively late 

 date, and vessels of metal and glass are scarcely known outside 

 civilization. The museum collection contains representatives of 

 all the above-mentioned classes of vessels, in each case chosen 

 from as wide an area as possible. 



"Gourd vessels (often called "calabashes"): from Oceania, 

 Africa, Burma. The specimen from New Caledonia (West Pacific), 

 with protective net of coconut fibre string, is worthy of notice. 



"Coconut vessels : Oceania, Africa, Ceylon, Japan. Some 

 are enclosed in a suspending net of string or sinnet. 



"Bamboo vessels: from British New Guinea and Burma. 



"Shell vessels: (the shell of Cymbiuni) for cooking, from 

 Torres Straits Islands (between Australia and New Guinea). 



"Horn vessels : ox-horn cups, South Africa and Argentina, 

 and an Anglo-Saxon specimen found in London ; horn ladle, Haida 

 Indians of North America ; old English horn beakers. 



"Skin vessels: goat-skin water bag, Cairo ; walrus bladder 

 bucket, Siberia; Spanish peasant's skin bag for wine or water; 

 hide bottle for cuscus, Kabyles of Algeria; food vessels of wood 

 and hide, East Central Africa; hide bottle, Hausa of Northern 

 Nigeria; old English "black-jacks" and "leather bottles." 



"Bark vessels: bark dish for fish, Ainu of Japan; birch- 

 bark tray, North American Indians. 



"Wooden vessels: (i) Carved in one piece: from Australia, 

 the Pacific islands. North America, Africa, Japan (Ainu); old 

 English platter, and old Norwegian beer bowls. (2) Built vp 

 of several pieces: cedar wood boxes, north-west North America; 

 wooden bucket made of two pieces, Eskimo of Alaska ; old Eng- 

 lish harvest barrels, old Norwegian tankards." 



[188] 



