THE ECONOMIC MOLLUSCA OF ACADIA. 13' 



Indians from Kennebec to Cape Cod,] make carcanets and 

 bracelets (called hou-re in Brazil, and matacliiaz by our 

 Indians), from the shells of those great sea-shells which are 

 called ViGNOLS and are like unto snails, \i. e., the large Conchs, 

 Sycotypus and Fidgur] which they break and gather up in a 

 thousand pieces, then polish them upon a (hot)* stone, so that 

 they make them very small, and when they have pierced 

 them, they make beads, like to those which we callprocelain. 

 Among these beads they mingle alternately other beads, as- 

 black as the others I have spoken of are white, made of jet 

 or of certain hard or black woods which resemble it, [meaning 

 probably dark purple wampum,] which they polish and make 

 as small as they wish, and this has a good grace. 



''And if things are to be esteemed for their fashion, as we 

 see exemplified in our merchandise, these collars, scarfs and 

 bracelets of Vignols or porcelain, are more valuable than 

 pearls (netwithstanding no one will believe me in this), for 

 they esteem them more than pearl, gold or silver. As with 

 us, so in this land do the women deck themselves with such 

 things, and will make a dozen turns of it around the neck, 

 hanging upon the breast, and around the wrists and below 

 the elbow. They also hang long chains in their ears, which 

 hang down even as low as their shoulders. If the men wear any 

 it is only some young one who is in love. But at Port Royal 

 and thereabouts, and towards Newfoundland, and at Tadous- 

 sac, where there are neither pearls nor Vignols, the maids 

 and women make matacliiaz from the quills or bristles of the 

 porcupine, which they dye with black, white and red colors, 

 as vivid as possible : for oar scarlet has no better luster than 

 their red dye. But they prize much more the rnatachiaz which 

 comes to them from the land of the Armouchiquois and buy 

 it at a very high price. And since they can get but a little 

 of it, because of the war which these two nations \i. e., the 

 Micmacs and the Armouchiquois,] have always between each 

 other, there is brought to them from France matacliiaz made 

 of little tubes of glass mixed with tin or lead, which are 



*The word used is (jrez, which is translated by Erondelles, " hot stone." 



