A very singular manner of using precious stones as talismans is noted in Burma.[611] There are certain talismans called _hkoung-beht-set_, which are inserted in the flesh beneath the skin. They are usually of gold, silver, or lead, or else of tortoise-shell, horn, etc., but sometimes they are rolled pebbles and occasionally precious stones. We are told that when a prisoner is found to have such talismans on, or rather in his person, the jailer cuts them out lest they should be used to bribe the guards. The talismans owe much of their supposed power to inscriptions in mystic characters, and they are so highly favored that some of the natives wear one or more rows of them across the chest. For the Japanese, rock-crystal is the “perfect jewel,” _tama_; it is at once a symbol of purity and of the infinity of space, and also of patience and perseverance. This latter significance probably originated from an observation of the patience and skill required for the production of the splendid crystal balls made by the accurate and painstaking Japanese cutters and polishers. The belief of Mohammedans in the Evil Eye claims the authority of the Prophet to the effect that “the áïn (eye) is a reality.” The Arabs also designate the Evil Eye as _nuzra_, “the look,” and _nafs_, “breath or spirit.” It is not commonly regarded as the result of a definite malevolent intention, but rather as an effect engendered by envy at the sight of anything especially beautiful or attractive. Indeed, sometimes the bare expression of great admiration is supposed to produce evil results, as is illustrated by the assertion that when a man, on seeing an exceptionally large and fine stone, exclaimed, “What a large stone!” it immediately broke into three pieces. In the Sahara, the horns of oxen, and sometimes their skulls with the horns attached, are set over the entrances of dwellings to protect the residents from this dreaded influence; in Tunis and Algiers, boars’ tusks are also used in this way. However, the most favored weapons of defence are the outstretched fingers of the hand, sometimes but two fingers, but more often all five. The gesture of holding out the fingers toward the envious person is frequently accompanied by the utterance of the words: _Khamsa fi ȧïnek_, “five (fingers) in your eye!” The number five has thus acquired such a special significance that Thursday, as the _fifth_ day of the week, is looked upon as the appropriate day for pilgrimages to the shrines of those saints whose protection against the Evil Eye is believed to be most potent.[612]