62 BULLETIN 136, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



islands (167430). This specimen is Wfa inches in height and sy 2 

 inches in diameter. The shell is made of the trunk of a palm tree 

 and the head is of shark skin, fastened to the shell with small peg-. 

 Two interesting specimens have shells in the shape of an hour- 

 glass, somewhat modified. These are from New Guinea and are 

 unique in that each has a handle midway its length. Excellent 

 workmanship is seen in 125558, which appears to be a modern instru- 

 ment The shell is carved from a log of wood, painted black, and 

 ornamented with bands of incised lines filled with white pigment. 

 The lower end is formed like the open jaws of an alligator. No. 

 73375 (pi. 27e) is a very old instrument and primitive in construc- 

 tion A wooden handle extends up and down the drum, and on the 

 opposite side is a long rib perforated with small holes in which are 

 tied nutshells, tufts of colored glass, etc. Each drum has a head o. 

 lizard skin, glued to the shell. 



Four particularly tall drums from Africa are at the rear of the 

 case These, like the preceding, have one head and a shell that is 

 open from end to end. One of these (151584) is a modern drum from 

 East Africa, received in 1890, while another (95155, pi. 27/) is from 

 West Africa and has a shell hollowed from a log of wood, decorated 

 with carvings and colors. The black is produced by charring, the 

 red is a paint or stain, and the white is clay. It has an openwork 

 base These drums are used to accompany songs during dances, and 

 are beaten only with the hands. Frequently they are played in con- 

 nection with horns made of elephant ivory. No. 167499 is made 

 of a hollow log, with one head pegged to the shell with wooden pins. 

 Two drums from Singapore on the Malay Peninsula resemble those 

 just described in having one head and a shell open at both ends but 

 are entirely different in their proportions. The diameter of these 

 drums is greater than the height, thus the diameter of 964ol is 14 

 inches and its height is only 7 inches. The shell is thin and it has 

 a rawhide head stretched over its larger end, held with a hoop of 

 braided split rattan. The lacing of split rattan passes up and down 

 the shell in double rows about iy 4 inches apart, extending from the 

 head to a hoop near the lower end. The lacing is made taut by 

 crowding a stick between the hoop and the lower edge of the shell, 

 A smaller drum of this type is exhibited on a light standard. These 

 instruments are used at marriage feasts and festivals, and are placed 

 on the ground, the player squatting beside the drum and beating it 

 with his open palms. 



Exhibited against the wall is the largest single-headed drum in 

 the collection (95708). It is from Ceylon and has a diameter of 

 almost 37 inches. When this is played, several persons sit on the 

 ground in a circle, the back edge of the drum resting on their knees. 

 They strike the drum with their fingers. 



