November 1, 1899.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



245 



splint made from the core of the nutmeg-cowry (C. arahica). 

 In the Andaman Islands, according to the late Dr. V. Ball, 

 the natives employ a bivalve (Cyn-ne) as a knife ; and the 

 Fijians make knives and scrapers from the pearl-oyster. 

 In Woodlark Island, small axe-heads are gronnd out of a 

 species of auger-sheU (Terebm), larger implements of the 

 same nature being made in Fiji from giant clam {Trhlacna 

 gi(jas). Cubical blocks cut out from the same shell were 

 used in the Tonga group as missiles in war. As receptacles 

 for holy water in churches, large valves of the aforesaid 

 species, which may measure as much as a yard in diameter, 

 have long been in use. As a substitute for glass in 

 windows, the thin flat valves of the glass-oyster {Placuna 

 placentii) have been employed for ages among the Chinese. 

 As spoons and balers, the shells of many species, both 

 bivalved and univalved, are employed in different parts of 

 the world. Among them, it may be mentioned that a 

 melon-volute (Meh diademaj is used in Papua to bale the 

 water from canoes ; while in the Moluccas neat spoons of 

 various sizes are cut from the outer side of another species 

 of the same genus and mounted with horn or bone handles. 

 In West Africa the great snail shells of the genus Achathm 

 are used as spoons ; and in some countries melon-volutes 

 are made into lamps. Valves of marine and freshwater 

 mussels are used by the Papuans to peel yams ; 

 and the employment of mussel-shells to hold gold and 

 silver paint is well-known. As trumpets, in addition to 

 the Indian chank, reference may be made to the large 

 triton {Triton tritunix) and the horned helmet-shell {Cassis 

 cornuta) of the South Pacific, as well as to a species of 

 the allied genus BaneUti. In the West Indies the queen- 

 conch is used for this purpose. A hole is drilled in one of 

 the smaller whorls of the spire of these shells to serve as 

 a mouthpiece. In some of the Malay countries table 

 ornaments are made from nautilus shells by cutting open 

 the central chambers ; while the entire shells may be used 

 for drinking cups, and are sometimes mounted in Europe 

 as flower vases or dessert dishes. Finally, mention may 

 be made of the Fijian practice of carving imitations of the 



Fig. 2. — Spoon made from tin- Shell of a Melon-volute. 



orange-cowry and the mole-cowry out of sperm-whale 

 teeth. 



Turning to the uses of shells, other than mother-of-pearl, 

 among civilised nations, we find the cutting of shell-cameos 

 forming an important industry ; although, owing to large 

 brooches being out of fashion, this trade is probably much 

 smaller than in past years. In 1870 the value of the 

 shell cameos imported into Great Britain was three thou- 

 sand four himdred and forty-five pounds. The favourite 

 shells for large cameos are the black helmet {Cassis 

 madaijasciiriensisjfiom the West Indies, in which the white 

 cameo shows up on a claret ground ; the homed helmet 



{C. cornuta) of the South Pacific, which has an orange 

 ground ; the scarlet buU's-mouth helmet (C nifa), 

 imported from India and Ceylon, which shows a red or 

 sardonyx ground ; and the West Indian queen conch 

 {Stromhus ni'jus), with a beautiful pink groimd. Of these, 

 the horned helmet is the least satisfactory, as the layers 

 are apt to split ; the best being the black helmet, from 

 which a number of cameos can be cut. Those cut from 

 the queen conch lose their colour. The cameos may either 

 be left in the shell, or cut out separately, when they are 

 mounted as brooches, bracelets, studs, etc. Occasionally 

 they are cut in the tiger cowry, when a purple ground is 

 obtained. 



In addition to its employment for cameo-cutting, the 

 queen conch is largely imported for other purposes. It is 

 frequently exhibited as an ornamental shell, especially in 

 the London milk-shops ; but its chief use is for grinding 

 into powder and mixing with the other constituents of the 

 finer kinds of porcelain. In the year 1850 no less than 

 three hundred thousand of these shells were imported from 

 the Bahamas into Liverpool. Shells also form the finest 

 quality of lime for building and cement ; and such lime 

 may be made either from the accumulations of shells on 

 beaches, or by collecting shells for the purpose. In the 

 neighbourhood of the Salt Lake, some distance from 

 Calcutta, two large conical blackish univalves, belonging 

 to the genera, Potaiii ides and Tdescopiiini, are collected from 

 the brackish water in enormous quantities for this purpose. 

 The huge heaps of these molluscs are left to fester in the 

 sun till the soft parts are decayed ; and the smell emitted 

 during this process can be better imagined than described. 

 Money-cowries have been employed to form the enamel 

 used in watch and clock faces. 



Although the finished products can scarcely be regarded 

 as occupying a very high position when judged by the 

 artistic standard, the manufacture of shell-covered boxes 

 and fancy articles occupies a very important position in 

 the British shell-trade. A large percentage of the shells 

 thus used are collected on the British coasts, and are 

 known in the trade as grotto-shells. Both in this country 

 and in Japan, shells are also employed to make artificial 

 flowers. In the British manufacture large flowers, such 

 as tulips and roses, are those generally selected for imita- 

 tion ; but the -Japanese attempt smaller and more delicate 

 blooms. Elegant specimens of their work may be seen in 

 the shell-gallery at the Natural History Museum. Then, 

 again, there is a large trade in various descriptions of 

 common shells, such as small scallops, cockles, polished 

 mussels, whelks, etc., which are mounted with velvet and 

 sLlk to form pin-cushions, needle-books, purses, and other 

 fancy articles. A number of species of shells are polished 

 and sold as ornaments, as are many of the larger and 

 handsomer kinds in their natural condition. These are 

 known in the trade as fancy shells ; and when to these are 

 added the hosts of less common species which pass through 

 the dealer's hands previous to finding a place in the cabinet 

 of the shell collector, it is evident that the total traflic in 

 these beautiful objects must be very large indeed. It 

 seems, however, that the trade is by no means in such a 

 flourishing condition as it was some twenty or thirty years 

 ago ; the popular taste for shells, either as natural history 

 specimens, as ornaments, or in the form of shell-boxes, 

 having very appreciably declined. 



It may be added that while the majority of shells claim 

 our admiration, both from their form and their colouring, 

 mother-of-pearl owes its position solely to its unrivalled 

 lustre. Another lustrous substance obtained from molluscs 

 is the so-called shell-opal, formed by the fossilized remams 

 of ammonites. 



