The Chank Shells 



the lost books and destroy the thieving mollusk. Every Hindu 

 worships the sacred shell at the beginning of every prayer; other- 

 wise his oflFering would not be received. 



The chank fisheries of Ceylon and vicinity have great com- 

 mercial importance. Divers bring up the "green chanks," alive 

 and still invested with their green covering. These have perfect 

 shells and bring the highest prices. They are shipped to Calcutta 

 whence they are distributed through the ordinary commercial 

 channels. At one time the chank fisheries of Ceylon yielded the 

 Government a revenue of ;£4,ooo per annum for divers' licenses 

 alone. Six hundred divers were employed there. The value of 

 the shells shipped into Calcutta and Madras in some years reached 

 ;£ 1 5,000 sterling. 



The Hindu artists carve and otherwise ornament chank 

 shells; then they are suspended as oil vessels for the illumination 

 of the temples. A reversed or left-handed specimen is worth 

 its weight in gold. These rare shells are particularly revered in 

 India, Siam, China and in Ceylon. The Chinese priests keep 

 these curiously ornamented sinistral shells as sacred vessels in the 

 pagodas, and employ them only on special occasions. Medicine 

 is administered to the sick from them. The oil for anointing the 

 Emperor is kept in one of these vessels awaiting the next coronation. 



Most of the chanks are used in the manufacture of bracelets, 

 armlets and bangles, an industry that centres at Dacca. A rude 

 saw, operated by feet and hands both, cuts the shell into narrow 

 rings or segments of circles. These are polished, painted, graved 

 aiid inlaid with precious metals and gems. Elaborateness of 

 ornamentation is seen also where cheaper materials, tinsel, 

 spangles and glass beads, are employed. The Hindu women 

 wear these bangles in great numbers on arms and ankles. After 

 death they are buried with their wearers. 



Smooth chank shells are used to put a high polish upon paper 

 and glazed cloth; their weight and smoothness adapt them for 

 such work, in skilled hands. The "button" is cut from the top, 

 and strung as a bead, or "krantah," into necklaces. These are 

 worn by all the Sepoy soldiers in the East India service. 



The Artichoke Turbinella (T. scolymus, Gmel.) is the giant 

 of this genus. Its turreted spire bears a series of six varices, the 

 strongest on the last whorl, which gives this ponderous fusiform 

 shell a distinct hgxagonal form when viewed from above. The 



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