THE PEARL FISHERY OF 1904. 



15 



total of just over 41,000,000 oysters was an extremely satisfactory result. Last 

 year's fishery produced an almost identical number, 41,169,637, spread over 38 fishing 

 days of continuously fine weather. Had similarly favourable conditions prevailed this 

 year the divers would certainly have fished another 8,000,000 oysters, and would 

 probably have raised the grand total to 50,000,000." 



It is said that even the large amount of pearls obtained from these oysters is not 

 the total number fished up, as during the 3 or 4 hours' sail home from the banks 

 opportunity is given to the divers and their boats' crews to abstract some of the finest 

 from an occasional gaping shell. These illicit pearls, concealed it may be in the 

 eyes, or in the cavities of the nose, are often discovered by the official searchers 

 before the men leave the Government kottus. So there is some ground for supposing 

 that the divers really carry off a good deal more than the one-third of a fishery to 

 which they are entitled. The kottus where the oysters are received fx-om the boats 

 and separated into piles are large enclosures close to the beach, surrounded by high 

 fences of wattling (fig. 6) and having sheds thatched with palm leaves. Here the 



Fig. 6. Government divers and munducks picking out pearls in the kottu. Photo. l>y Mr. Hohnell. 



Government officials and clerks assign a separate compartment to each boat's crew as 

 it arrives with a load of oysters. The first proceeding is for the divers to divide 

 their oysters into three heaps, one of which is destined to be their own, and there 

 can be no doubt that they make these piles as nearly equal as they possibly can, 

 since they have no means of knowing which one the official will presently point out 



