gS SHELLS AS ORNAMENTS 



CHAP, 



the same purpose, when strung together in lengths of several 

 yards. 



" There is a curious old custom," writes Mr. W. Anderson 

 Smith,^ " that used formerly to be in use in this locality [the 

 western coast of Scotland], and no doubt was generally em- 

 ployed along the seaboard, as the most simple and ready means 

 of arrangement of bargains by a non-writing population. That 

 was, when a bargain was made, each party to the transaction got 

 one half of a bivalve shell — such as mussel, cockle, or oyster — 

 and when the bargain was implemented, the half that fitted 

 exactly was delivered up as a receipt ! Thus a man who had a 

 box full of unfitted shells might be either a creditor or a debtor ; 

 but the box filled with fitted shells represented receipted ac- 

 counts. Those who know the difficulty of fitting the valves of 

 some classes of bivalves will readily acknowledge the value of 

 this arrangement." 



Shells are employed for use and for ornament by savage — 

 and even by civilised — tribes in all parts of the world. The 

 natives of Fiji thread the large Turbo argyrostoma and crenulatus 

 as weights at the edge of their nets, and also employ them as 

 sinkers. A Cypraea tigris cut into two halves and placed round 

 a stone, with two or three showy Oliva at the sides, is used as a 

 bait for cuttles. Avicula margaritifera is cut into scrapers and 

 knives by this and several other tribes. Breast ornaments of 

 Cliama^ grouped with Solarium jyerspectivum and Terehra dupli- 

 cata are common among the Fijians, who also mount the Avicula 

 on a backing of whales' teeth sawn in two, for the same purpose. 

 The great Orange Cowry (^Cypraea aurantiaca) is used as a 

 badge of high rank among the chieftains. One of the most 

 remarkable Fijian industries is the working of whales' teeth to 

 represent this cowry, as well as the commoner C. talpa^ which 

 is more easily imitated. 



Among the Solomon islanders, cowries are used to ornament 



their shields on great field days, and split cowries are worn as 



a necklace, to represent human teeth. Small bunches of Tere- 



hellum suhulatum are worn as earrings, and a large valve of 



Avicula is employed as a head ornament in the centre of a fillet. 



The same islanders ornament the raised prows of their canoes, 



as well as the inside of the stern-post, with a long row of single 



Natica. 



1 Benderloch, p. 118. 



