93 
progresses. On an average it takes 4$ minutes to saw 
once througha shell. The number of working sections 
given by a single shell is determined according to the 
shape and size of the shell and the thickness of the 
sections desired. For the narrow churi bangles as many 
as ten sections may be obtained from a good sized shell, 
but for the broad bala bangle three are a good average. 
If 5 sections are cut from a shell the shell has to be 
sawn through six times, so we must count five minutes 
as the minimum time required to cut off a working section. 
To this must be added the time occupied in re-sharpen- 
ing the saw, a frequent requirement, owing to the great 
hardness of the shell, Fortunately the method employed 
is an expeditious one. It consists merely in going over 
the whole length of the cutting edge in a series of taps 
with a light chisel set hammerwise in a wooden handle 
(Pl. VII, fig. 1). The taps are quite lightly given, the 
serrations very numerous and very shallow. 
In Dacca, ‘a skilled cutter is paid at the rate of 
Rs. ro to Rs. 12 per 100 shells sawn up, but for this 
remuneration he has to prepare the shells for cutting, a 
slow and tedious operation, and has to provide his own 
tools. One hundred working sections per day is the 
limit of production per man working upon shells 
previously prepared ready for sawing. In practice it is 
usually considerably less owing to various delays normal 
as well as unforeseen—the repeated sharpening required 
by the saw, a badly prepared shell, a cut heel due to a 
slip of the saw, and often enough, a touch of fever. 
Shell slicing calls for the possession of a highly trained 
eye, perfect steadiness of hand and arm, and an ironlike 
capacity to sit for long periods in a position of great 
discomfort. Unless in a perfect condition of bodily 
fitness such work is an impossibility. During apprentice- 
ship few men can endure the strain sufficiently long to 
accustom their body to the habit of the strained position, 
the constant and monotonous attention required by 
the saw and the extreme fatigue of the occupation. As 
a consequence the sawing of working sections 1s limited 
to afew centres and a good cutter isa valuable asset to 
his employer. To retain a hold upon these men, 
employers willingly give large advances in cash to them, 
sometimes amounting, I was told, toas much as Rs, 200 
