208 ART IN SHELL OP THE ANCIENT AMERICANS. 



or sinkers of stone, notbing lias been obtaiued from the ancient burial 

 mounds of the Mississippi Valley. Hooks of shell, however, are very 

 plentiful in the ancient burial-places of the Pacific coast, and are fre- 

 quently so well shaped as to excite our admiration. Hooks and other 

 fishing apparatus, in whole or in part made of shell, are extensively 

 employed by the present natives of the Pacific islands and among the 

 numerous tribes of the northwest coast, .although bone and ivory are in 

 much higher favor for these purposes. 



We cannot say with certainty for what purpose the various sinker- 

 like objects of shell were used. In all cases they are so perforated or 

 grooved as to be suspended by a string ; but it is the custom of all sav- 

 age peoples to employ very heavy pendants as ornaments for the ears 

 or for suspension about the neck, and where stone could be secured for 

 such ordinary uses as the sinking of nets or lines, it seems improbable 

 that objects of shell, which form superb ornaments, would be so em- 

 ployed. 



That hooks were used to some extent by the Atlantic coast Indians 

 is proved by the association of bone Looks with other ancient relics. I 

 am not aware that their use has been noticed by early writers, who de- 

 scribe at length, however, the capture of fish by means of arrows, spears, 

 and nets. The ancient Mexican manuscripts contain many drawings 

 showing the use of nets in fishing, but the use of hooks and lines is not 

 suggested. 



In the absence of positive proof as to the exact manner in which the 

 plummet like objects were utilized, I shall for the jtresent follow the 

 custom of the best authors and classify the heavier specimens as sinkers. 

 The smaller specimens will be described as pendant ornaments. 



In Fig. 8, Plate XXVIII, a very handsome specimen from a refuse 

 heap on Blennerhasset Island, Ohio River, is shown. It has been cut 

 from the columella of a Busycon perrersum, the reverse whorl being 

 indicated by the Tvell preserved spiral groove, and was suspended by 

 means of a small, well-made perforation near the upper end. The surface 

 is weathered and chalky with age. 



Another specimen, from the same locality, differs but slightly from 

 this; the perforated eiid is broken away; the surlace is deeply weath- 

 ered, and the more compact laminte stand out in high relief. 



Two specimens from Sarasota Bay, Fla., resemble these very closely 

 in shape and size; instead of a perforation, however, they are grooved 

 near the upper end. They are made from the columellie of the Busy- 

 con perrersum. One of them is shown in Fig. 9, Plate XXVIII. 



It is possible that a number of the small shells usually supposed to 

 be perforated for use as ornaments have been used for sinkers. One 

 such specimen, collected by Professor Velie in Florida, is preserved in 

 the national collection. It is made from an almost entire specimen of 

 a small but compact univalve — a dextralwhorled Busycon or a Stromhus. 

 A shallow groove has been cut near the basal point for the purpose of 

 attaching a line. 



