FIG. 521 _A_. (S. 1–2.) Beads from Trigg County, at mouth of Little River, where it enters the Cumberland River, Kentucky. Bennett H. Young’s collection. ] The larger shells of the Atlantic Coast between the mouth of the Potomac and the Mississippi were employed by the Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana Indians as digging-tools, heads to clubs, etc. Mr. Clarence B. Moore, during the course of his extensive explorations in Florida and Alabama, found great quantities of large shells which had been used as domestic tools. It is well known that the shell mounds of Florida equal in size many mounds of earth or stone, farther north. [Illustration: FIG. 522. (S. 1–4.) Large shells, Hopewell Mounds, Ohio. ] In the North, the fresh-water unio shells were made general use of as hoes, such as is shown in Fig. 520, which was found at Fort Ancient, Ohio, on the village-site along the banks of the Miami River. It was much easier to perforate these shells and use them as hoes than to work out flint or wooden hoes. Persons who explore ancient sites find them in the ash-pits. The edges are always battered, or worn smooth, proving that they were of importance as agricultural implements. Short, heavy shells were perforated and fastened to clubs for weapons and digging-tools. Moore describes and illustrates many of these.[19] [Illustration: FIG. 523. (S. 1–1.) The typical shell nose and ear ornaments are shown in this illustration. These six were found by W. C. Mills on the Baum Village-Site, Ross County, Ohio. ] Bits of shell may have been set in handles, for use as “swords,” after the manner of South Sea natives. However, while shells were useful for other purposes, yet it was for ornamentation that most of them were used. Fig. 521, from the collection of Mr. B. Beasley, Montgomery, Alabama, is an illustration of small disc beads in the centre, larger beads about the margin and the string of rude and irregular shell beads enclosing the rectangular exhibit referred to. This is about one fourth size. Shell beads range in size from minute ones as small as those on the black background in the centre of the picture, to others three inches in diameter. Mr. Clarence B. Moore found shell beads as large as walnuts in his Florida and Alabama explorations. Fig. 521 _A_ shows a number of various shell beads, together with a few stone beads from mounds and graves at the mouth of Little River, Kentucky. Large numbers of pearl beads, have been found in the altar mounds of the Scioto Valley, Ohio, and in the South. De Soto’s narrative states that the Indians, in 1540–42, possessed many bushels of these pearls. Some were of beautiful form and high lustre. All of these would have been very valuable, but for the fact that the natives drilled a hole through each one, thus, from our point of view, ruining them.