Appendix. 199 



the Yodcla Valley, among the Autembo and other tribes, 

 the wooden trumpet is apparently used more frequently 

 than the conch. " The ordinary conch shell trumpet 

 varies in size up to about 20 inches long and about 9 inches 

 across in the largest part [apparently Triton tritonis\. A 

 hole from i inch to J inch in diameter is made about 

 3 inches from the apex. Over water the reverberating 

 note can be heard a very considerable distance." 



The details of the notation of trumpet blowing, given 

 by this writer, are of considerable interest. It is based 

 upon the long-short blast system ; and the significance 

 varies according to the district. Examples are given of 

 shell-trumpet calls from the Binandele tribes of the 

 Mamba and Gira rivers, the significance of which, accord- 

 ing to notation, are : " killing in a fight when in camp or 

 dancing"; "calling to a fight"; "conveying the news 

 of a death " ; " men are bringing a pig." The second 

 example, which consists of a " long blast, short, short, etc., 

 and repeat," is generally used nowadays " to call in the 

 people from their gardens, say, for example, on the arrival 

 of European or other strangers, or, again, half-a-dozen 

 long blasts may convey the news that a Government 

 party or Europeans are approaching." 



The use of shell-trumpets, in Peru, Samoa, and else- 

 where, to herald the approach of some important per- 

 sonage, has already been described (antea pp. 45 and 46). 



It is important to note that the photograph of the 

 native blowing a wooden trumpet, reproduced by Beaver, 

 shows the man wearing a string of large white " cowries " 

 (Ovuluin ovum}. 



From Malinowski's recently published account of the 

 natives of Mailu Island, off the coast of New Guinea, 9 it 

 is apparent that certain shells, including shell-trumpets, 

 play an important role in the " magico-religious " practices 

 of these people. More especially is this the case at the 

 Maduna or great annual feast of the Mailu, which is 

 connected, amongst other things, with agricultural activi- 

 ties. Elaborate preparations are made, and a number of 



9 Trans, and Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Australia, xxxix. , Dec., 19* 5> PP- 494 



seq. 



10 Maduna means distribution, the allusion being to the distribution of 

 foods vvhicli forms an essential feature of the proceedings (Malinowski, 

 p. 665). 



