GUIDE TO THE COLOMBO MUSEUM. 



169 



his tribute of cowries, ambergris, mats, &c., to the Ceylon Govern- 

 ment. The people appear to have a considerable amount of Arab 

 blood ua their veins, and the produce of the coconut, dried fish, and 

 tortoiseshell are important articles of export. The models of the 

 various ships in use are of great interest as preserving the outline of 

 the vessels in which no doubt the earliest Arab navigators crossed 

 the Indian seas ; the sails of some of these vessels are made of 

 coconut leaves, and the flaming star shown on the others is the 

 device of the Sultan. The fishing ladles are ingeniously constructed 

 from the spathe of the coconut flower. Shark-fisliing is an important 

 industry, the animals being captured by means of large iron 

 hooks. The chief interest in the exhibit centres round the beautiful 

 specimens of Maldivian lacquer work ; this is superior in finish to 

 anything of the kind produced in Ceylon, and easily rivals the 

 famous golden lacquer of Pagan. Among the best specimens are 

 the lace stand, flower holder, and plate box as shown in the illustra- 

 tion. The curious high wooden sandal with a metal nail to pass 

 between the first two toes is to be found in use in Ceylon ; the shell 

 spoons and the various games should also be noted, as well as the 

 specimens of the costumes of the inhabitants. A considerable 

 portion of the articles on view has been presented by the Sultan 

 Ibrahim Noorudin Iskander. (See Plates XXI. and XXII.) 



Ancient Pottery and Earthenware (Case 26). 



The case containing ancient earthenware contains chiefly " finds " 



of the Archseological Survey of Ceylon — Anuradhapura 437 B.C. to 



769 A.D., Polonnaruwa 769-1319 a.d., and Sigiriya 479 a.d. There 



are some ancient eaves tiles from Panduwasnuwara. Eaves or 



hanging tiles are used on dewala and vihare roofs to frmge the 

 eaves. These tiles have a plain flat upper portion which passes 

 under the last row of tiles at the edge of the roof. The visible down- 

 hanging portions, which frequently have the shape of conventional- 

 ized bo-leaves, give an artistic finish to the roof. Animal figures 

 are embossed on the outer (and sometimes in the inner) surface of 

 43-12 ( 4 ) 



