Iiiti'oduction. xix 



integral part of the primitive train of reasoning- I have 

 been tr)'ing to reconstruct and interpret. Hence it became 

 the custom in many places to put cowries in the grave 

 for the purpose of insuring to the dead a continuation of 

 existence. The fact that cowries, from their resemblance 

 to semi-closed eyelids, were often inserted into the orbits 

 of mummies to represent the e)'es, may possibh' have 

 played some part in giving definiteness to the ancient 

 conception of the fertilising power of the eyes, and to the 

 crop (jf beliefs concerning the evil eye and the power of 

 bringing good or bad luck, which are so intimately 

 associated not only with a glance of the eye but also with 

 cowry shells. These shells are commonly used for games 

 of chance, as well as for averting the evil eye. 



The development of the beliefs concerning the fertilis- 

 ing and animating powers of the eye and the influence 

 of the evil eye is a very complex story, which has not yet 

 been fully anaK'sed and elucidated. But it seems probable 

 that the j^otency of the cowry as a charm against the evil 

 e\'e is to be attributed in i)art to the belief in its fertilising 

 and vitalising powers and especially in its therapeutic 

 efficacy. For as the vehicle of " soul substance" it was 

 supposed to be able to remedy troubles due to the with- 

 drawal of this essentia! element of health)- vitalit)-. Hut 

 due importance must be assigned to the fact that the 

 assimilation of the virtues assigned to the cowry and the 

 Egyptian eye-amulet respectively may in part be due to 

 the fact that the cowry was actually used as a substitute 

 for the eye. 



l^ut the use of cowries for bridal offerings and fur 

 burial ceremonies led in some places to the offering of 

 very large collections of the shells, so as to increase the 

 beneficent influence expected of them. .\mong the 

 Baganda, for example, as many as two thousand five 



