196 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
The sound of the trumpet, or shell, a species of 
murex, used in war to stimulate in action, by the 
priests in the temple, and also by the herald, and 
others on board their fleets, was more horrific than 
The Trumpet Shell. 
that of the drum. The largest shells were usually 
selected for this purpose, and were sometimes 
above a foot in length, and seven or eight inches 
in diameter at the mouth. In order to facilitate 
