[\\'t' of Cowry-sliells for Cnrrem\\ Amulets, etc. 



lOi 



nately, neither the name of the tribes concerned, nor the 

 name of the shell emploj-ed, are given ; but tlie fact of 

 the latter being called a "porcelane" is ikiI without 

 interest, as " porcelaine " is the common French term for 

 cowry. There is no certain evidence, however, to support 

 the conclusion that a cowry was the shell employed as a 

 war signal. Earlier in this Cha[)ter we have seen that w hen 

 the Egbas of West Africa meditated war, cowries were 

 thrown into the air b}- the war-priest ; and in the \'oruba 

 countr}', where cowries are used for s\-mbolic messages, 

 a solitary cowry indicates defiance. 



Or'ii/a (Calpitnms) renHiOsa L. 



^.— Pliilippines (after Kceve). 



A'. — Ancient American ^ravc-s (after Holmes). 



Mr. W. 11. Holmes, in his " Art in Shell of the Ancient 

 Americans," ' ' illustrates in Plate xx.xii. a number of 

 iperforated marine shells exhumed from ancient graves of 

 ;North America. Two of these ( h'igs. ii and 12) are of 



special interest as coming within the scope of the i)resent 

 i discussion. Unfortunatel)' the precise data regarding 



the site of their discovery are not given ; all we are told is 



'•" SecoiKi Annual Report, liureau of iuhnolcijy, Wasliini^ton, iS8j, 

 pp. I79-.305- 



