858 The American Naturalist. [October, 
Pachacamac, near Lima, Peru? squares of mother-of-pearl 
were found in the graves of the Incas. These squares are 
only half the length of those figured in Dr. Stearns’ paper. 
The pieces look like the nacre of abalones and each square has 
two holes drilled in it. As the graves, or burial place of 
Pachacamac is supposed to be over four hundred years old, 
these shell pieces are very interesting, revealing also the fact 
that the Incas considered shell ornaments valuable enough to 
be buried with their bodies. As these strips of solid silver, 
done up in a loosely woven cloth, were found in a mummy’s 
hand, the pieces of shell were evidently not used as money, 
the silver having been cut for that purpose. 
Dr. Stearns instances the purchasing power of an abalone 
from the fact that in New Mexico a horse had been traded for 
a shell. I was relating this incident toa friend who had 
spent some years with the Pueblos in New Mexico, and my 
friend said that that was not surprising, as, when she first went 
to New Mexico, some years ago, her brother bought her a good 
Mexican horse for $6.00, and the Indians were always as glad 
to receive attractive shells as money. This would not bea 
very extravagant price for an Indian to pay for a fine Haliotis, 
as a shell dealer once listed to me H. fulgens as high as $10.00. 
Whether any conchologist paid such price is unknown to me, 
but, a red abolone, when decorticated, has sold in Los Angeles 
for $5.00, but it was a large specimen and beautifully pol- 
ished.” Like other commodities abalone shells are variable 
in price according to the demand, as well as quality. 
%In the private collection of C. F. Lummus, Los Angeles, Cal. 
“It is related that as high a price as $25.00 has been asked for an abalone having 
a peculiar muscular impression outlined in the interior of the shell. 
Med eme EE PM 
