﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  117 
  

  

  the 
  hole 
  thus 
  made, 
  had 
  inserted 
  from 
  each 
  side, 
  point 
  by 
  point, 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  

   shells, 
  which 
  decoration 
  was 
  further 
  increased 
  by 
  stickiufj 
  a 
  feather 
  of 
  some 
  

   wihi-fowl 
  into 
  the 
  large 
  end 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  hollow 
  shells. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  shells, 
  as 
  implied 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Lord's 
  statement 
  " 
  that 
  

   twenty-five 
  shells 
  placed 
  end 
  to 
  end 
  must 
  make 
  a 
  fathom 
  or 
  six 
  feet," 
  we 
  are 
  in- 
  

   clined 
  to 
  believe 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  mistake, 
  as 
  the 
  shells 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  average 
  very 
  

   nearly 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  Of 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  setn 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Lord 
  and 
  Whymper 
  {Dentalium 
  entalis, 
  or 
  EntaHs 
  vul- 
  

   garis), 
  but 
  very 
  few 
  attain 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  two 
  inches; 
  the 
  great 
  majority 
  averag- 
  

   ing 
  much 
  less. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  specific 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  used 
  as 
  above, 
  and 
  the 
  

   localities 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  obtained, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  west 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Vancouver 
  L'iland 
  ' 
  form 
  is 
  the 
  Dentalium 
  Indianorum* 
  of 
  Dr. 
  P. 
  P. 
  

   Carpenter 
  ; 
  but 
  probably 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tusk-shells 
  which 
  are 
  or 
  have 
  

   been 
  in 
  circulation, 
  do 
  not 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  species, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  

   European 
  De>italiurn,f 
  referred 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  gentleman, 
  and 
  which 
  closely 
  resem- 
  

   bles 
  the 
  American.* 
  The 
  foreign 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  extensively 
  imported 
  for 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  trade, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  noticed 
  at 
  different 
  limes 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  im- 
  

   ported 
  shells 
  displayed 
  for 
  sale 
  in 
  the 
  fancy 
  goods 
  stores 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  

   together 
  with 
  beads 
  and 
  other 
  Indian 
  goods. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  DetUalia 
  for 
  

   money 
  among 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  tribes 
  is 
  also 
  corroborated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Dull, 
  whose 
  

   extensive 
  travels 
  and 
  thorough 
  investigations 
  in 
  that 
  territory 
  are 
  well 
  known. 
  It 
  

   is 
  highly 
  probal)le 
  that 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  shells 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  will 
  soon 
  become 
  a 
  

   story 
  of 
  the 
  past, 
  and 
  the 
  money 
  of 
  the 
  Pule-faces 
  will 
  supersede 
  among 
  the 
  Red- 
  

   men 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  of 
  California, 
  or 
  the 
  tribes 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  coast 
  and 
  the 
  adjoining 
  region, 
  also 
  use 
  the 
  tusk-shells 
  for 
  money 
  ; 
  either 
  the 
  

   shells 
  or 
  the 
  shell-money 
  is 
  called 
  alli-co-cheek, 
  or 
  allicochick 
  — 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  

   the 
  orthography, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Stephen 
  Powers, 
  whose 
  valuable 
  papers 
  upon 
  

   " 
  The 
  Northern 
  California 
  Indians," 
  in 
  the 
  Overland 
  Monthly, 
  are 
  an 
  important 
  

   contribution 
  to 
  American 
  aboriginal 
  history. 
  

  

  " 
  For 
  money, 
  the 
  Cahrocs 
  make 
  ut^e 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  scalps 
  of 
  woodpeckers 
  , 
  

   which 
  are 
  valued 
  at 
  $5 
  each 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  curious 
  kind 
  of 
  shell, 
  resembling 
  a 
  

   cock's 
  spurs 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  shape, 
  white 
  and 
  hollow, 
  which 
  they 
  polish 
  and 
  arrange 
  

   on 
  strings, 
  the 
  shortest 
  being 
  worth 
  twenty-five 
  cents, 
  the 
  longest 
  about 
  $2 
  — 
  

   the 
  value 
  increasing 
  in 
  a 
  geometrical 
  ratio 
  with 
  the 
  length. 
  The 
  unit 
  of 
  cur- 
  

   rency 
  is 
  a 
  string 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  a 
  man's 
  arm, 
  with 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   longer 
  shells 
  below 
  the 
  elbow, 
  and 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  shorter 
  ones 
  above. 
  

   This 
  shell 
  -money 
  is 
  called 
  allicochick, 
  not 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  Klamath, 
  but 
  

   from 
  Crescent 
  City 
  to 
  Eel 
  River, 
  though 
  the 
  tribes 
  using 
  it 
  speak 
  

   several 
  differ(nt 
  languages. 
  When 
  the 
  Americans 
  first 
  arrived 
  in 
  the 
  

   country, 
  an 
  Indian 
  would 
  give 
  from 
  ^40 
  to 
  ^.iO 
  in 
  gold 
  for 
  a 
  string 
  of 
  it 
  ; 
  but 
  

   now 
  it 
  is 
  principally 
  the 
  old 
  Indians 
  who 
  value 
  it 
  at 
  all." 
  J 
  

  

  * 
  Supp. 
  R( 
  p. 
  Brit. 
  Ass'n, 
  18C3, 
  on 
  Mollusca 
  of 
  W. 
  N. 
  America, 
  p. 
  G48. 
  

   t 
  Antalis 
  enlalis. 
  Vide 
  Adams' 
  Genera, 
  vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  457. 
  

   t 
  Vide 
  Overland 
  Monthly, 
  vol. 
  VIII, 
  pp. 
  329, 
  427, 
  535. 
  

  

  