'.Mi I'K.XKLI NAI TIL 



tin- victim. The trap is now ei 1 . her closelv watched. or a mark 

 is placed upon 1 he spu.. :iinl tin- fisherman pursues his avocation* 

 upon oilier p:ir!s of [lie reef. iin.il :i ccr'.Min period li:is elapsed. 

 lu i iv! unis.Miul in nil probability Tunis the Nan; ilus in his . 



upon '.he bait. Tin- trrapnel is now carefully li 1 '. down. 

 :ml having ciKeivd llir baske throu^'li the opentim on lop. a 

 dexterous movcmen. o!' In- hand fixes one or more o!' the poinls 

 or hooks, and tlir prize is safelv hois'.ed into the canoe. 



Tin 1 IVarly Nautilus is not I'ound at tin- Naviu'alor u'roup of 

 islands in I he Son Mi SCMS. and the shells t'orni there an inipor 

 ar.iele of oxrlian^'r. They are brought by Kuroj)ean vcs 

 from \e\v Caledonia and the Kei-Li-ee Islands as articles ol'tnide. 

 and are bariered \vi : .h 'he natives at Ihe rate of tour for a dollar 

 or one shillinii' eaeh. I am old i: is indiH'ei-ent to the na'ivcs if 

 i he shells are old or ralher damaged, as they use ;he chambered 

 portion lor ornament, rubbing them down to sui! the various 

 purposes to which they apply them. They also make armlets 

 and o; her ornaments from the shell. A vessel arrived at S\dney 

 I'rom New Caledonia with several tons of these shells, which 

 were disposed of as an article of trade to the Navigator and 

 Friendly Islands; they were sold at Sydney at about I \<L each. 

 I have seen a very ele^am lille. formed of I hese shells ( of very 

 -mall ->i/e). bronchi from the Samoan Islands, the brilliancy of 

 which was that of .he most highly burnished silver. They are 

 used by ;he na'.ives in war. and are highly valued; this one 

 \\\\r \ wen'.y dollars. The shells are fixed !o a small midrib of 

 roeoa nut leaf, which supports .hem on a worked band of siniirt : 

 upon this, under the row of sevenleeii shells, small pieees of the 

 1C pearly shell were placed to add to t he ornamental elfecl. 

 r Phe leiiLith of the band was 1 -2 inches (not including the tviiiLi 

 Bl riiiLi-) and the depth .'5 inch' 



I n I ndia ele^air. drinking cups : ;re made of Xim/Hti* l^mijH'lt'ittt. 

 :he exierior eoa^iim lu-in-j relie\ed by cai'vin^ on the inner 

 pearly lamina; o unetimei aely jtaint eil. Cameo 



car\ini: on the shell of the Naiiiilns is exteiisix cly practised in 

 M upland and o' her count rirs. and shell^ | hi is prejia red are lii^hlv 

 valueil as ornaments. 



l)i. George Bennett, Proc. Zool. Sor.. 22 



