374 ANCIENT ABORIGINAL TRADE IN NORTH AMERICA. 



rials occur evea more frequently in the sacrificial mounds than in those 

 of a sepulchral character, a circumstance that may be accounted for by 

 the value attached to these objects by their owners, who deemed them 

 worthy of being offered in their sacrificial rites. The methods employed 

 by the manufacturers doubtless being of the most primitive character, 

 each shell-bead was the result of a certain amount of patient labor, and 

 consequently was esteemed according to the time and art bestowed on 

 its production. 



The Indian shell-ornament in its simplest form consisted of entire 

 specimens of small marine univalves, such as species of MargineUa, 

 ^atica, and OUva, which, after being conveniently pierced, could be 

 strung together at once without further preparation, and worn as neck- 

 laces, armlets, &c. The above-mentioned kinds were met by Squier and 

 Davis in the mounds of Ohio, and in opening the Grave Creek Mound 

 five hundred specimens of MargineUa were obtained near one of the 

 skeletons. Some time ago, I received pierced specimens of MargineUa, 

 recovered in removing a mound at East St. Louis, in Southern Illi- 

 nois, which, I believe, contained a great number of them. Small sea- 

 shells appear to be particularly abundant in the Indian graves of the 

 Gulf States. More than a hundred years ago, it was noticed by Carver 

 that sea-shells were much worn by the Indians of the interior parts — 

 he chiefly refers to the Dakotahs on the Upper Mississippi — and reck- 

 oned very ornamental. He could not learn how they procured them, 

 but thought they were obtained by traflSc with other nations nearer the 

 sea.* Small /ossiZ marine shells were sometimes used for the same pur- 

 pose. In an article published in the Smithsonian Report for 1868, 1 

 have stated that a large number of such fossil shells were found, asso- 

 ciated with agricultural flint implements, under the surface at East 

 St. Louis, the place already mentioned.t They belonged almost ex- 

 clusively to the geuus Conovulus {Melampus), and many of them were 

 prepared for stringing by a lateral perforation, as shown in the drawing 

 (on p. 404) representing one of those shells. My knowledge, however, 

 that the Indians used small fossil sea-shells as ornaments is not confined 

 to the case in question, and I presume that many of the small marine 

 shells taken from the mounds, which are considered as belonging to 

 recent species, are, in reality, of fossil origin. Other fossil remains in 

 a worked state, it may be mentioned in this connection, were obtained 

 from the mounds of Ohio, as, for instance, shark's teeth, and others oi 

 considerable size, perhaps belonging to a cetaceous animal. The for- 

 mer are notched on both sides, or pierced at the lower end, and may 

 have served, respectively, as amulets, arrowheads, or cutting imple- 

 ments. 



Yet, the number of entire sea-shells employed as beads by the native's 



* Carver, Travels, p. 151. 



t Their fossil character was first ijoiuted out to me by a competent conchologist, Mr. 

 Thomas Blaud, of Brooklyu. 



