Geographical Distribution of the Shell-Purple Industry. 7 
Apart from the evidence afforded by the Mediter- 
ranean instances of broken shells, this interpretation 
receives strong support from the interesting statement 
made by Lenormant and Chevallier in dealing with the 
purple industry of the ancients. According to these 
authors the Phoenicians “also procured from the British 
Isles a dark shade, called ‘black purple, but it has not 
yet been ascertained with certainty what species produced 
regen 
Further evidence of the antiquity of purple in Ireland 
is furnished by Wood-Martin in his “ Lake Dwellings of 
Ireland.”” On p. 104 of this work the author tells us 
that the MS. Book of Ballymote contains an ancient 
Irish poem, which states: “ It was Tigearnmas who first 
established in Ireland the art of dyeing cloth of purple, 
and many colours.” 
This King—variously given as Tighernmas and 
Tiernmas—is alleged to have reigned about 1000 B.C 
and “was the first that smelted gold in Ireland.” ™ 
ED} 
We have many instances of the survival of this purple 
industry in the British Isles. Johnston” tells us that the 
Venerable Bede, who wrote in the eighth century, men- 
tions the art as known in his time, and he was familiar 
with the beauty and permanency of the colour.“ The 
same fact is mentioned by Richard of Cirencester,” and 
also in a translation of Higden’s “ Polichronicon” made 
inthe year 1387.” 
Purple shell-fish were largely employed from the 16th 
®4 °° Manual of Ancient History of the East,” London, 1870, ii., p. 214. 
*® Dublin and London, 1886. 
* Kinahan, ‘‘ Geology of Ireland,” 1878, p. 340. 
** Johnston, ‘* Introduction to Conchology,” 1850, p. 72. 
Setlist Eccles. Gent. Ang: libsd.), ceils 
€9 <* Desc. of Britain,” 28. 
7° Book 1., ch. 38 of ‘‘ Bretayn.” 
