98 SHELLS AS ORNAMENTS chap. 



ployed for the same purpose, when strung together in lengths of 

 several yards. 



" There is a curious old custom," writes Mr. W. Anderson 

 Smith/ " that used formerly to be in use in this locality [the 

 western coast of Scotland], and no doubt was generally em- 

 ployed along the seaboard, as the most simple and ready means 

 of arrangement of bargains by a non-writing population. That 

 was, when a bargain was made, each party to the transaction 

 got one half of a bivalve shell — such as mussel, cockle, or oyster — 

 and when the bargain was implemented, the half that fitted 

 exactly was delivered up as a receipt ! Thus a man who had a 

 l)0x full of unfitted shells might be either a creditor or a debtor ; 

 but the box filled with fitted shells represented receipted accounts. 

 Those who know the difficulty of fitting the valves of some classes 

 of bivalves will readily acknowledge the value of this arrangement." 



Shells are employed for use and for ornament by savage — 

 and even by civilised — tribes in all parts of the world. The 

 natives of Fiji thread the large Turho argyrostoma and crenulatus 

 as weights at the edge of their nets, and also employ them as 

 sinkers. A Cypraea tigris cut into two halves and placed round 

 a stone, with two or three showy Oliva at the sides, is used as a 

 bait for cuttles. Avicula margaritifera is cut into scrapers and 

 knives by this and several other tribes. Breast ornaments of 

 Chama, grouped with Solarium p^rsjoectivum and Terehra dupli- 

 cata are common among the Fijians, who also mount the Avicula 

 on a backing of whales' teeth sawn in two, for the same piu^pose. 

 The great Orange Cowry {Cyj)raia aurantiacct) is used as a 

 bado-e of high rank among the chieftains. One of the most 

 remarkable Fijian industries is the working of whales' teeth to 

 represent this cowry, as well as the commoner C. tal-pa, which is 

 more easily imitated. 



Among the Solomon islanders, cowries are used to ornament 

 their shields on great field days, and split cowries are worn as 

 a necklace, to represent human teeth. Small bunches of Tere- 

 hellum subulatum are worn as earrings, and a large valve of 

 Avicula is employed as a head ornament in the centre of a 

 fillet. The same islanders ornament the raised prows of their 

 canoes, as well as the inside of the stern-post, with a long row of 

 single Natica. 



^ Bendcrloch, p. 118. 



