l8 



MOLLUSCA IN THE MaYA LoWLANDS 



6 with two slit perforations, 3 with perforation 

 near spire; i carved; 7 others" (P, p. 422, fig. 

 5 1, A). The specimen illustrated is surely this 

 species. J. Ladd reports 2 additional specimens 

 from the Sacred Cenote, one with spire ground 

 down. 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 106 unworked, 

 Formative. 



TANCAH, Q.R.: 2, with 2 holes apparendy 

 drilled at shoulder for suspension (illustrated but 

 not identified by Sanders, i960, fig. 19,6,15, 16). 

 BARTON RAMIE: 2 pierced by drilled hole 

 for perforation, one with spire removed (W, 

 pp. 507—08, figs. 309,6; 310, g-); identified as 

 "Olivella" but clear from illustration that these 

 are much larger (as well as differently shaped) 

 than any OUvella known from this area. They are 

 probably Oliva reticularis. 



TIKAL: 2 unworked "probably O. reticularis"; 

 22 tinklers, "weathered and probably of various 

 species"; all have spires cut off and have a cut 

 or drilled suspension hole near the apex (M, 

 pp. 67, 70). 



UAXACTUN: Ricketsons report 15 Olivas, all 

 but one from Mamom deposits; some of those 

 illustrated are surely reticularis (RR, p. 201, fig. 

 131, (/, pi. 68,6); Kidder reported 9, Tzakol and 

 Tepeu, "some surely, others presumably, Oliva 

 reticularis" (K, pp. 63—64, fig. 85, (^). 



Oliva sayana Ravenel 



Illustration: Plate 12,6,66. 



Modern distribution: West coast only, from Celes- 

 tun to Isla Carmen. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: 2 unworked, one Forma- 

 tive, one unstratified; 11 tinklers, with both sawed 

 and drilled perforations, all with spire removed, 

 Formative and Early periods or in undated de- 

 posits (Table 2). 



LABNA: I tinkler, spire removed, sawed for 

 perforation, probably Pure Florescent (E. H. 

 Thompson, 1897b, pi. X,2i, illustrated but not 

 identified). 



GRUTA DE LOLTUN: i tinkler with spire 

 removed and sawed perforation, period unknown 

 (E. H. Thompson, 1897a, fig. 11, illustrated but 

 not identified). 



MAYAPAN: Used for tinklers (P, p. 385, fig. 

 45). Some of these specimens, tentatively identi- 



fied as O. reticularis, must be either sayana or 

 caribaeensis. 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 3 unworked, For- 

 mative. 



BARTON RAMIE: 2 tinklers, both with "sawed" 

 perforation and spires removed (W, pp. 507—08, 

 figs. 309,^; 310,;, identified as "OUvella"). Sev- 

 eral times larger than any OUvella, they clearly 

 belong to genus Oliva, and may be identified as 

 either of the 2 closely related species sayana or 

 caribaeensis. 



SAN JOSE: i unworked, with S.J. IV sherds 

 (T, p. 180). 



TIKAL: I unworked (M, p. 67) "Oliva, probably 

 sayana"; age not listed. 



UAXACTUN: Although not reported as such, 

 probably the tinkler fourth from left in Ricket- 

 son's illustration (pi. 68,6) and nos. 5—9 in 

 Kidder's illustration (fig. S^,d) are either this 

 species or O. caribaeensis. They might be the 

 Pacific O. porphyria. 



Oliva spicata (Roding) 



Illustration: Keen, 1958, fig. 625. 



Modern distribution: Pacific. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



COPAN: 14 tinklers, spire sawed off and hole 

 drilled in base, from Full Classic tomb (Longyear, 

 1952, p. no). 



Comment: A large collection of fresh specimens of 

 large olive shells from the northern islands of the 

 east coast shows complete intergradation in the 

 characteristics used to define O. sayana and 0. 

 caribaeensis, making me feel that these are really 

 varieties of the same species. Distinction between the 

 two in bleached and altered specimens must be 

 questionable, as must be the distinction of damaged 

 fragments of both these from the Pacific 0. por- 

 phyria. Twelve Isla Cancun specimens, not definitely 

 identified as sayana, have been included with the 

 caribaeensis. 



The differentiation between these larger species 

 and the smaller reticularis, which I have sug- 

 gested on the basis of photos and measurements of 

 Uaxactun and Mayapan specimens, is more specific. 

 O. reticularis is the more globose and much smaller 

 shell. Abbott (1954, p. 245-46) lists the size of 

 reticularis as 38—44 mm., sayana as 51—66 mm. All 



