BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 435 



occupation is au unwholesome one, and soon produces deafness and dis- 

 eases of the chest and hmgs. Blood not infrequently flows from the 

 mouth, ears, and nostrils after the usual dip of forty or fifty seconds, 

 which is repeated fifty or sixty times a day. The men also run the risk 

 of being eaten by sharks, although death from this cause is not apt to 

 occur except in untried fishing-grounds, as the noise of the divers is 

 almost certain to drive the sharks away. 



The pearl stations. — All the pearl-fishing stations in Torres Strait 

 bear a very close resemblance to one another, and consist of a small 

 but nice-looking residence for the manager and one of less pretension 

 for the men, a warehouse for storing i^rovisions, &g., and several sheds 

 for drying the shells. Before the shells are brought to the station the 

 boats usually run into land, and the men open the oysters, take out 

 the pearls, if any, and throw the soft parts overboard. The shells are 

 then roughly cleaned and stowed under the hatches. At the end of 

 the voyage they are taken to the station, where they are counted and 

 thoroughly cleaned. The shells are then assorted and dried, and after 

 the outer edges are chipped off they are packed in cases, each case 

 weighing from 270 to 300 pounds, and are ready for shipment. 



No systematic efibrt has yet been made to collect pearls at Torres 

 Strait, and such as are found become the property of the men, who se- 

 crete them in various ways, often by swallowing them. Some very fine 

 specimens of pearls about the size of a hazel-nut, and of remarkable 

 beauty and clearness, have recently found their way to the market from 

 Torres Strait. Other specimens of a much larger size have been found 

 there, but they were imperfect in shape and color. 



Formation of pearls. — In oysters aged four years — which are judged 

 by the shells, weight, and appearance — the best pearls are found. The 

 shell, like the pearl, is formed by the secretion of the animal, and is 

 composed of animal matter and lime. The iridescent hues on the in- 

 side of the shell are occasioned by the edges of the thin, wavy, con- 

 centric layers overlapping one another and reflecting the light. The 

 minute furrows, containing translucent carbonate of lime, produce a 

 series of more or less brilliant colors, according to the angle at which 

 the light falls upon them. Occasionally some of the finest pearls are 

 found loose in the shell. As many as one hundred pearls have been 

 found in one oyster, but of little or no value. The pearls of the young 

 oyster are yellow, and in the older oyster are of a pinkish hue. 



The use of pearl-shells. — The pearl-shells shipped from Australia to 

 the United States and Europe are used j)rincipally for the manufacture 

 of knife-handles, shirt-buttons, &c. Considerable quantities are also 

 used for papier-mache and other ornamental work. The pearl buttons, 

 shirt-studs, &g., now made in the United States are said to be the best 

 and cheapest in the world, a fact due in great measure to the care used 

 in selecting the material and to the improved methods of cutting, 



U. S. Consulate, Sydney, New South Wales, April, 1885. 



