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THE AUSTRALIAN .MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



Breast Ornament. 



By William W. Thorpe. 



When the H.M.A.S. Brisbane called 

 at Rabaul, New Britain, during Sep- 

 tember of last year, Mr. Linaere, in 

 charge of Native Affairs, presented to 

 the commander and officers of the ship, 

 an elaborate breast ornament. 



This example of local handiwork has 

 been loaned to the Museum, and has 

 been placed on exhibition in the Mela- 

 nesian Room. The general shape is tri- 

 angular, length 22^- inches by 7| inches 

 across the top; and the ornamentation 

 consists, for the major part, of canine 

 teeth of the island dog. In constructing 

 this ornament the teeth have been per- 

 forated, and attached in rows to a 

 plaited fibre string base. At the angles 

 and upper centre of the breast plate are 

 small pendants with similar teeth and 

 shell sections. On the breast portion 

 chere are twenty-nine rows, and the 

 number of teeth altogether used total 

 live hundred and twenty. As only four 

 canine teeth occur in an individual, at 

 least one hundred and thirty dogs have 

 been accounted for. When worn by the 

 chief, it is suspended from his neck by 

 thj attached finely plaited cord. It was 

 considered of great value, and no doubt 

 formed an heirloom of much inijjort- 

 ance. 



Dog-tooth ornament worn by native chief in the 



New Hebrides. Over 130 dogs have contributed 



their canine teeth to the formation .of this 



striking object. 



Photo. — G. C. Clutton. 



The principal items in our next issue 

 will be : — 



''A Museum Group in the Making." 



A. R. McCulloch. 

 •'The Islands of New South Wales and 



their Birds." A. F. Basset Hull. 

 "Ocean Island." T. J. McMahon, 



F.R.G.S. 

 "Bird Notes." J. R. Kinghorn. 



These will" be" profusely illustrated by 

 a fine series of photographs. 



