yf) Shells (IS evidence of the Migrations. 



freshwater |)carl mussels, Aetheria (^Nile o}-ster;, Uiiio,cic. 

 at a very early period, usini;- tlieir valves as receptacles for 

 paints, etc., in Pre-dynastic and later times. Whether 

 the}' obtained pearls from these is not known, but the 

 pearl}- nature of the shells themselves may have led to 

 their being objects of api)reciation. The Aetheriw occur 

 in the Nile as \\\'j\\ as the cataracts of Robatas in Ui)per 

 Nubia, and are described by Cailliaud, in his " \'o}'age 

 a Mcroc," as being a common article of food. Their shells 

 are collected by the natives in order to decorate the tombs 

 of deceased relatives.'' Perforated discs of this shell were 

 found in some numbers in a tomb of the XVIIIth d}'nast}' 

 (grave D 1 14) at Ab}-dos,'^ but whether the}- were used for 

 ornamental purposes, such as necklaces or armlets, is 

 difficult to decide. Judging from their size (diam. 27 mm.; 

 the}' would not prove suitable objects for this purpose. 

 There is no evidence to suggest that the}- were emplo}-ed 

 as a form of currenc}-, 



Be}-ond the reference b}' Pliu}''' to pearl fisheries on 

 the Mauritanian coast — probabl}- inaugurated b}' the 

 Phtenicians, who visited West Africa for gold— little is 

 known of the use and exploitation of pearls in this part 

 of Africa. 



On the east side of the African C(jntinent, pearl 

 fisheries are known south of the Gulf of Aden. According 

 to Kunz and Stevenson [^op. eit., p. 153J " little information 

 exists as to the origin of tiiese fisheries. In a paper 

 l)ublished b}- the Lisbon Geographical Societ}-, Januar}-, 

 1 903. Sehor Ivens P'erranz states that, acccnding to 

 tradition, in remote times the Ibo Archipelago, on the 



' =" .Mary Roberl.-, " Popular liisiory of the Mollu.sca," 1S51. p. 31 1. 



'* 'J'. Kric iVet and W. ].. S. I.oaU " 'I'lie ( cmeleries uf Abydos.' 



pt. iii.. I9I2-IJ- iStli ■'^!(>"- "/ H.KVtl Ji-^flor- I'lnid, luij. p. 30, pi. xii. 



"• riiny, " X.Il.,' l.k. I.X., ch. 50. 



