Distribution of Pearls aitd Pcai l-slwll. \2\ 



cut from a Cassis shell, the cover of which was a fraL;nKMit 

 of the valve of the pearl-oyster.'" Tliis and other dis- 

 coveries of pearls in that countr\' b\' the same investigator 

 point to the existence of pearl fisheries on this coast many 

 centuries ago. It is reported that Afanta, in the I'rovince 

 of Manabi, is tlie place where the Incas obtained the 

 splendid gems found in the temi)les and i^alaces of I'eru 

 by tiie Spaniards.'^" 



The Incas of Peru held a curious belief concerning 

 pearls; they regarded them as the "eggs" of the pearl- 

 producing shell-fish.'^' 



The artificial eyes of their nuunmies have been s[)f)ken 

 of as pearls, but, according to Tschudi, the)- are the dried 

 eyes of the cuttle-fish {Lolii(o gigas)}^^ 



Rivero and Tschudi'^"' inform us that the Peruvians 

 were accustomed to ornament their textiles by sewing 

 upon them leaves of gold and silver, or small pieces of 

 mother-of-pearl, etc. ; and in speaking of the Iluaca of 

 Misa, they sa)' that a stone idol, with mother-of-pearl, was 

 formerly met with here, along with mummies, cloths, 

 pieces of gold and silver, etc. 



Much further information ccnild be given concerning 

 the use of pearls and pearl-shell, but enough evidence has 

 been collected to demonstrate the nature and extent of 

 the ideas concerning them. However, nu-ntion might be 



'*' M. II. .Saville, " Antiquities of Manabi, Ecuaildr,' ( 'unirilnitions 

 to South Americaa Aich.x-ology, N. V'., 1910, vol. ii., p. 177. 



' •• ■-■ Run/, and .Sievenson, op. (i/., p. 282. 



'^" W. |. DaUin, " I'eurls,"' ( "aml)ii(l.i;e, 191.5, p. S. 



'^■' Tryon, " .Sliuciiiral ami .S)suinalic Cunciiolnij;)-,"* \<<\. ii., 1S.S3, 

 p. 24. ("uuk-tish eyes are strung, ns pearls for necklaces, on ihe >lioies of 

 Sicily and Naples : and the natives of liie Sandwich Islands have imposed 

 them on the Russians as pearls. Johnston, op. ri!., p. 62 fooinotc. 



'^■^ M. 1:. Ri\ero and J. J. von Tschudi,'- l\-ru\ i:in .\ ni iipiiiie-." New 

 York and London, 1837, pp. 224 an.l 266 (T.anshui.m l,y V. R. llauk^). 



