Beads made from the columellæ of univalves have generally a number of
distinguishing characteristics. They are large and massive, and rarely
symmetrical in outline, being sections of roughly dressed columns. They
are somewhat cylindrical, and often retain the spiral groove as well as
other portions of the natural surface. In cases where the form is
entirely artificial they may be distinguished by the sinuous character
of the foliation. The perforation is nearly always with the axis of the
bead, and is in most cases bi-conical. In Plate XXIX a series of cuts is
given which illustrates the various methods of perforation and shows
very distinctly the differences between the rude work of savages and the
mechanically perfect work of modern manufacturers. Beads of this class
are more decidedly aboriginal in character than those of any other
group, and are without doubt of very ancient origin. They are widely
distributed, and have been found in graves and mounds covering an area
outlined by Massachusetts, Canada West, Minnesota, Missouri, and the
Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Figs. 1, 6, 7, 11, and 14 of Plate XXXIV represent typical specimens of
this class. In every case they are considerably altered by decay, rarely
retaining any of the original polish. All come from ancient burial
mounds, some of the interments of which probably antedate, while others
post-date, the coming of the whites.
The bead shown in Fig. 1 is made from the columella of a _Busycon
perversum_. It is a rude, tapering cylinder, with rounded ends and deep
spiral groove. The perforation is bi-conical and somewhat irregular.
This, with many similar beads, made of both dextral and sinistral
shells, was associated with human remains in the great mound at
Sevierville, Tenn.
The bead illustrated in Fig. 6 has been made from the column of some
dextral whorled shell. It was obtained from a mound on Lick Creek, East
Tenn. It is a typical specimen of average size, and illustrates very
well the large collection of this class of relics made by Dr. Troost.
Fig. 7 was obtained from a mound at Franklin, Tenn. It is cut from the
columella of a _Busycon perversum_, and is of the usual form, being a
heavy, short cylinder, rounded at the ends until it is somewhat
globular. The perforation is very large, and has been made almost
entirely from one end. The surface is much weathered, the firmer
_laminæ_ being distinctly relieved. Other specimens from the same
locality are much smaller.
Fig. 11 is from a grave in an ancient cemetery at Swanton, Vt., and is
similar to the preceding, having been cut, however, if correctly
represented, from a dextral whorled shell. The cut is copied from a
paper by G. H. Perkins.[59]
Fig. 14 illustrates a very large specimen of these beads from the Lick
Creek Mound, East Tenn. The surface is encrusted, stained, and decayed.
It has been made from the broad beak of a _Strombus_ or dextral whorled
_Busycon_. The perforation is symmetrical and bi-conical. Specimens
upwards of two inches in length and one and one-fourth in width come
from the same place. The larger perforations are three-eighths of an
inch in diameter at the ends and quite small in the middle.
Fig. 12 represents a large bead of symmetrical outline, made from the
columella of a _Busycon perversum_. The shape is artificial, with the
exception of a small portion of the spiral canal. The surface retains
much of the original polish, but exfoliation has commenced on one side.
The perforation is about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter at the
ends and one-sixteenth in the middle. There is a slight offset where the
perforations meet. It is from a burial mound at Harrisburg, Ark.
The bead shown in Fig. 9 is one of a large number obtained from a mound
at East St. Louis, Ill. It is a symmetrical, well-polished cylinder. The
small portion of the spiral groove which remains indicates that it is
derived from a _Busycon perversum_. The perforation is neatly made and
doubly conical in shape. The symmetry, finish, and fine condition of
this bead lead to the suspicion that it may be of recent manufacture.
Its form is by no means a common one among ancient mound relics.
The bead represented in Fig. 10 is described and illustrated by Squier
and Davis.[60] This, with many similar specimens, was taken from a mound
in the Ohio Valley. It is made from the columella of some marine
univalve, and is well wrought and symmetrical.
Fig. 5 is a flattish, highly polished bead from Monroe County, New York.
The material, which resembles ivory, may have been obtained from the
tusk of some animal. It is slightly concave on one side and convex on
the other. The perforation is neatly made and of uniform diameter
throughout.
In Fig. 4 I present a bead of unusual shape; it is made from the basal
portion of some heavy univalve. The axis and perforation are at right
angles to the plane of lamination. The middle portion of the bead has
been excavated, producing a form resembling a labret or lip-block, in
common use by many tribes. It is from a mound on French Broad River,
Tenn. We have a bead of similar shape, but which has a lateral
perforation, from a mound at Nashville, Tenn.
Fig. 2 illustrates a spheroidal bead obtained from an ancient grave on
Santa Rosa Island, Cal. The form is unusually symmetrical and the
perforation neatly made, being small, doubly conical, and slightly
countersunk at one end. The surface is smooth and retains a little of
the original purplish hue of the shell, probably a _Hennites giganteus_.
Others of the same shape from this locality exhibit like
characteristics. A few similar specimens come from San Miguel Island.
Another large specimen from this locality is shown in Fig. 8. It is
somewhat flat, and is quite wide in the middle portion, tapering rapidly
towards the ends. The perforation is small and regular. The lines of
foliation are distinctly marked, but are not sufficiently characteristic
to indicate the part of the shell from which the bead is derived.
_Pearls._--Two of the most remarkable beads in the national collection
are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 13. The latter is an enormous pearl,
probably derived from the _Haliotis Californianus_. It is somewhat
pear-shaped, the base being rounded and the apex a little bent. The
transverse section is subtriangular. Having been buried for an unknown
period in the soil or sand, it has suffered greatly from decay, and has
probably lost considerably by exfoliation. The thin, chalky lamellæ come
away readily in concentric scales, exposing the iridescent _nacre_
beneath. The perforation is about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter,
and seems to pass through a natural cavity in the interior of the pearl.
The smaller specimen given in Fig. 3 is in many respects, similar to the
large one. Another, of about the same size as Fig. 3 bears quite a
marked resemblance to a lima bean, and is pierced laterally, giving a
button like appearance.
These specimens were obtained from graves on San Miguel Island, by
Stephen Bowers.
[Illustration: PL. XXXIV--MASSIVE BEADS AND PEARLS.
(1/1)]