Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

208 / Appendix D.
indicative of European influence has been found amongst them, the occurrence
of which cannot be easily explained.
Often, as at Stewart Castle, the accumulations are in the form of distinct
mounds or elevations above the general surface of the ground; in other places,
as at Tryall and California, where the land has been disturbed by cane-planting,
they are distributed irregularly over the surface and are of no great depth. The
thickness of the deposits is very variable, in some places being five or six feet,
in others merely superficial. Occurring always from or near the surface, and
sometimes on steep inclines, the objects have been further distributed by the
washing from the violent tropical rains. Some of the accumulations, along with
the accompanying earth and stones, are partially consolidated, while others are
very loose. In most, the materials exhibit no regular arrangement, but in others,
as at Stewart Castle and Long Mountain, they are found embedded in distinct
layers of ashes, earth, or marl.
Shells
The relative proportions and species of land and marine shells vary. In places
more distant from the sea, e.g., Retreat and Stewart Castle, species of Helix predominate,
but at Norbrook and the Long Mountain, not far from the shore,
marine shells are much in the ascendant. The giant conch, Strombus gigas, and
Turbo pica, occur in all, while Pyrula melongena is the more plentiful and also
universal. Strombus pugilis is one of the common univalves on the south side.
Cokadia (Lucina) tigerina is the commonest bivalve in mounds of the north
side, but is rarely obtained in those of the south, its place being taken by the
various species of Arca, while Chama lazarus is also plentiful.
[5]Helix acuta, one of our most abundant and large land shells, predominates
at Stewart Castle and Retreat, and occurs, in some cases no doubt naturally,
in less numbers in the others. Helix jamaicensis is only found in quantities
in the deposits of the north side, being limited to- day in its distribution to
the western part of the island. Ampullaria fasciata is the only fresh- water gastropod
met with.
In practically all the different species of gastropods, though not in all examples,
is a large, irregular, artificial perforation, varying in position from half
an inch to an inch behind the mouth of the shell (Fig. I.); perhaps made to facilitate
the extraction of the animal, though bearing no relation to the position
of attachment of the adductor muscles.
It has also been suggested that the aperture may have been made by the Indians
for the purpose of stringing the shells together while on their collecting expeditions.
One correspondent informs me that this is still carried out in the case
of gastropod shells containing hermit- crabs. The giant conch is used plenti fully