226 ART IN SHELL OF THE ANCIENT AMERICANS. 



large one. Another, of about the same size as Fig. 3 bears quite a 

 marked resemblance to a lima bean, and is pierced laterally, giving a 

 button like appearance. 



These specimens were obtained from graves on San Miguel Island, by 

 Stephen Bowers. 



TDBCLAR BEADS. 



In Plate XXXV I have arranged a number of cylindrical beads, to- 

 gether with a few others of unclassified form. 



Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the most common form of the ancient wam- 

 pum, the white example being made from the columella of a small uni- 

 valve, and the dark one from the purple portion of a Venus mercenaria. 

 The specimens represented belong to the celebrated "Penn belt," pre- 

 served in the rooms of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 



It is not known positively that beads of this particular shape were 

 employed in pre-Columbian times; but it is certainly one of the earli- 

 est historical forms, and one which has been manufactured extensively 

 by the Indians as well as by the whites. They may be found both in 

 very old and in very recent graves, in widely separated parts of the 

 United States and British America, and have always formed an impor- 

 tant part of the stock of the Indian trader. 



Figs. 3 and 4 represent a very large class of Pacific coast forms. 

 These are from the island of San Miguel. They are simple white cylin- 

 ders, with somewhat irregular bi-conical perforations. Many examples 

 may be found which taper slightly toward the ends. They are coated 

 with a rusty-looking deposit, which breaks away easily, exposing the 

 chalky substance of the shell. They range from one-half to three inches 

 in length, and from one-eighth to three-eighths in diameter. They are 

 probably made from the thick valves of the Pachydesma crassatclloides 

 or the Amiantis callosa. They were i^robably used as beads for the neck 

 and as pendant ornaments for the ears. The longer specimens may 

 have been worn in the nose. It is also said that beads of this class 

 were used as money. 



Fig. 5 illustrates a very long, tubular bead found at Piscataway, Md. 

 It has been made from the columella of some large univalve. It is four 

 and a half inches long and one-fourth of an inch in diameter. The sur- 

 face is smooth, but a little uneven, and the ends taper slightly. The 

 perforation which has apparently been made from both ends, as there 

 is an offset near the middle, is quite regular, though slightly enlarged 

 near the ends. 



A large number of beads of the class illustrated in Fig. 6, Plate 

 XXXV, were obtained from the ancient graves of San Miguel Island, 

 Cal. They have been made from one of the large bivalve shells of the 

 Pacific coast, probably the Pachydesma crassatelloides. The curvature 

 of the bead is the result of the natural curve of the valve from which 

 it is fashioned. The larger specimens are nearly five inches in length. 

 In the middle portion they are three-eighths of an inch in diameter. 

 They taper gradually towards the ends to the size of the perforation, 



