Use of Cowry-shells for Currency, Amulets, etc. 173 
“Among the Dyaks of Borneo it is the custom to place 
the small white money-cowries in the eye-sockets of the 
skulls of enemies, which they keep.” The baskets of the 
Dyak head-hunter are also decorated with the same 
150 
cowries.” Specimens in the Leiden Museum show .C.: 
annulus as decoration for sword-hangings from West 
Borneo, and C. moneta as decoration for a betel-pouch 
from South-east Borneo.” 
In certain parts of Malaysia, cowries are attached to 
the fishing-nets, not as “net-sinkers” as recorded by 
152 
several ethnologists,’” but in order to ensure success in 
fishing or to ward off evil influences. In Nias, an island 
off the west coast of Sumatra, Cyprea vitellus is so used ; 
in Engano, an island in the same neighbourhood, the 
species is C. ventriculus; in Vimor, C. arabica ; while off 
N.W. New Guinea the shells employed are C. moneta, 
C. caput-serpentis, C. erosa, C. lynx, C. tigrts and C. vitellus.”” 
According to Von Martens, the Berlin Museum con- 
tains specimens of clothing ornamented with cowries, from 
4 
Bali, near Java.* In Timorlaut the natives adorn cloth- 
girdles with cowries, and in the same island, four species 
of cowries, C. annulus, C. tsabella, C. erosa, and C. helvola, 
are employed as neck-ornaments.”” 
Van der Sande,’ describes and figures several neck- 
ornaments from Dutch New Guinea, on which specimens 
ESTAS UCAS Op mGlZiy Dae sO21s) INalZels Op= aeza le, + 135) (on) 
EPSOM Ratzels) of. C22, VOl- 1.5, 1p 445 (tg. ) 
191 Schmeltz, ‘‘ Schnecken und Muscheln in leben der vélker Indo- 
nesiens und Oceaniens,” Leiden, 1894. 
152 The slight weight of these shells would render them valueless as 
sinkers. 
153 Schmeltz, of. cét. 
to4 Schneider, op. ¢72., p: 118. 
155 /$7d,, and Schmeltz, of. cc. 
. 156 Wan der Sande, ‘‘ Nova Guinea,” iii, 1907, pp. 83, 117-8,-pl. xiii., 
g. 4. 
