On the Aggry Beads of Africa. 447 
so well explained. Besides the suite deposited in the British 
Museum, | had the pleasure of presenting one of the most inter- 
esting kind to Baron Humboldt; and I have also sent one to Sir 
Richard Hoare; as it seemed to correspond so closely with the 
bead which he found in one of the barrows, and describes as fol- 
lows in his History of Wiltshire :—* The notion of the rare virtues 
of the Glain Neidyr, as well as of the continued good fortune of 
the finder, accords exactly with the African superstitions.” A 
large glass bead of the same imperfect petiifaction as the pulley 
beads, sand resembling alsoin matter the little figures that are found 
with the mummies in Egypt, is tobe seen at the British Museum. 
This very curious bead has two circular lines of opaque sky blue 
and white, which seem to represent a serpent entwined round 
a centre which is perforated. This was certainly one of the 
glain neidyr of the Britons, derived from g/ain which is pure and 
holy, and neidyr a snake. Under the word glain Mr. Owen in 
his Welsh Dictionary has given the following article :—‘* The 
glain neidyr, transparent stones, or adder stones, were worn by 
the different orders of the bards, each having its appropriate co- 
lour. ‘There is no certainty that they were worn from supersti- 
tion originally ; perhaps that was the circumstance which gave 
rise to it. Whatever might have been the cause, ¢he notion of 
their rare virtues was universal in all places where the Bardic 
religion was taught. It may still be questioned whether they are 
the production of nature or of art.” The beads which are the 
present object of my attention are thus noticed by Bishop Gibson 
in his improved edition of Camden’s Britannia. “ In most parts 
of Wales, and throughout all Scotland, and in Cornwall, we find 
it a common opinion of the vulgar, that about Midsummer-eve 
(although in the time they do not all agree) it is usual for snakes 
to meet in companies ; and that by joining heads together and 
hissing, a kind of bubble is formed like a ring, about the head of 
one of them, which the rest by continual hissing blow on till it 
comes off at the tai); and then it immediately hardens and re- 
sembles a glass ring, which whoever finds (as some old women 
and children are persuaded) shall prosper in all their under- 
takings. The rings which they suppose to be thus generated are 
called Gleint Nadroedh, 2. @. gemme anguium, whereof I 
have seen at several places about twenty or thirty. They are 
small glass amulets, commonly about half as wide as our finger 
rings, but much thicker ; ; of a green colour usually, though some 
of them are blue, and others curiously wayed with blue, red, and 
white. I have also seen two or three earthen rings of this kind, 
but glazed with blue and adorned with transverse “streaks j in fur- 
rows on the outside. ‘There seems to be some connexion between 
the glein neidyr of the Britons and the ovwm anguinum men- 
tioned 
