﻿114 
  PKOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  forms 
  of 
  shells 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  aborigines 
  of 
  both 
  shores 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  con- 
  

   tinent 
  ; 
  and, 
  though 
  the 
  forms 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast 
  were 
  

   quite 
  different, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  authors 
  whom 
  we 
  have 
  consulted, 
  from 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  money 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  American 
  tribes, 
  yet 
  this 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  on 
  

   the 
  suppojition 
  that 
  a 
  similar 
  form 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast, 
  for 
  such 
  

   is 
  not 
  the 
  fact. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  unreasonable 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  but 
  little, 
  if 
  

   any, 
  knowledge 
  of 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  more 
  likely 
  none 
  at 
  all. 
  Being 
  separated 
  by 
  

   the 
  breadth 
  of 
  a 
  continent, 
  with 
  many 
  wide 
  and 
  rapid 
  rivers 
  and 
  several 
  lofty 
  

   mountain 
  ranges 
  intervening, 
  and 
  the 
  intermediate 
  country 
  occupied 
  by 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  and 
  distinct 
  tribes 
  quite 
  as 
  jealous 
  of 
  any 
  invasion 
  of 
  their 
  territory 
  as 
  are 
  

   the 
  civilized 
  nations 
  of 
  to-day, 
  the 
  use 
  or 
  the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  any 
  substance 
  

   or 
  particular 
  form 
  for 
  money 
  by 
  the 
  tribes 
  of 
  either 
  coast, 
  was 
  probably 
  unknown 
  

   to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  trans-continental 
  shore. 
  

  

  The 
  Pilgrim 
  settlers 
  of 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  Colony 
  at 
  Plymouth 
  found 
  a 
  form 
  

   of 
  money 
  in 
  use 
  among 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  New 
  England 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Historical 
  

   Collections 
  of 
  Massachusetts, 
  and 
  from 
  other 
  sources 
  as 
  recorded 
  by 
  Governor 
  

   Winthrop 
  and 
  Roger 
  Williams, 
  we 
  are 
  informed 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  character 
  and 
  sub- 
  

   stance. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  bivalve 
  mollusks 
  (clams) 
  of 
  that 
  coast 
  is 
  the 
  

   Venus 
  mercenaria, 
  or 
  Mercevaria 
  violacea, 
  (Plate 
  VI, 
  tig. 
  1,) 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  called 
  

   by 
  naturalists 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  " 
  hard-shell 
  clam" 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  market, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   markets 
  of 
  Boston 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  quahog." 
  The 
  valves 
  or 
  shells 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  frecjuently 
  display 
  an 
  interior 
  purple 
  edge 
  — 
  varying 
  in 
  this 
  respect, 
  it 
  is 
  

   said, 
  in 
  difif^^rent 
  localities 
  — 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  being 
  of 
  a 
  clear 
  white. 
  From 
  

   the 
  darker 
  colored 
  portion 
  the 
  Indians 
  made 
  their 
  purple 
  money, 
  or 
  wampum, 
  as 
  

   it 
  was 
  called 
  ; 
  while 
  from 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Pijrula 
  or 
  conch, 
  and 
  from 
  

   other 
  shells, 
  they 
  made 
  their 
  white 
  money, 
  or 
  white 
  wampum. 
  In 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   first 
  shell, 
  and 
  its 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  substance 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  wampum, 
  was 
  made, 
  we 
  

   have 
  the 
  following: 
  "The 
  quahaug 
  {Venus 
  m,ercenaria) 
  , 
  called 
  by 
  Roger 
  

   Williams 
  the 
  poquau 
  and 
  the 
  hen, 
  is 
  a 
  round, 
  thick 
  shell-fish, 
  or, 
  to 
  speak 
  more 
  

   properly, 
  worm. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  bury 
  itself 
  but 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  ; 
  is 
  gene- 
  

   rally 
  found 
  lying 
  on 
  it, 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  ; 
  and 
  is 
  gathered 
  by 
  rakes 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose. 
  After 
  the 
  tide 
  ebbs 
  away, 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  picked 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  below 
  

   high-water 
  mark. 
  The 
  quahaug 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  inferior 
  in 
  relish 
  to 
  the 
  oyster, 
  but 
  

   is 
  less 
  digestible. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  eaten 
  raw 
  ; 
  but 
  is 
  cooked 
  in 
  various 
  modes, 
  being 
  

   roasted 
  in 
  the 
  shell, 
  or 
  opened 
  and 
  broiled, 
  fried, 
  or 
  made 
  into 
  soups 
  and 
  pies. 
  

   About 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  of 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  purple 
  color. 
  This 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  broke 
  off 
  and 
  converted 
  into 
  beads, 
  named 
  by 
  them 
  suckauhock, 
  or 
  black 
  

   money, 
  which 
  was 
  twice 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  their 
  wampom, 
  or 
  white 
  money, 
  made 
  of 
  

   the 
  metaukock, 
  or 
  periwinkle 
  [Pyrula).* 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  derivation 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  ' 
  quahog,' 
  Governor 
  Winthrop 
  refers 
  to 
  it 
  

   as 
  ' 
  poquakauges, 
  a 
  rare 
  shell 
  and 
  dainty 
  food 
  with 
  the 
  Indians. 
  The 
  flesh 
  

   eats 
  like 
  veal 
  ; 
  the 
  English 
  make 
  pyes 
  thereof; 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   make 
  money.' 
  He 
  says 
  of 
  the 
  money, 
  ' 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  Wampampeege. 
  f 
  Also, 
  

  

  * 
  Massachusetts 
  Historical 
  Society's 
  Collections, 
  VIII, 
  192 
  (1802) 
  . 
  

   t 
  Journal 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  June 
  27, 
  1634. 
  

  

  