BLEAK IN PACTOLUS. 15 



Immense numbers of bleak can be seen at Oxford, at 

 the point where the town sewer joins the Thames near 

 Folly Bridge. This terrible stream goes by the appro- 

 priate name of " Pactolus." These little fishes do an 

 immense amount of unpaid laboiu'. I am surprised 

 that the Oxford authorities allow the Thames to be 

 polluted to the detriment of the health of the town's 

 people and members of the University. 



I have long known that bleak scales were largely 

 used in the manufacture of pearls, but had the greatest 

 difficulty in getting any satisfactory particular's about 

 this curious manufacture in which the ladies are so 

 much interested. My friend Mr. Sachs, jeweller, of 

 22, Hyde Park Place, Marble Ai*ch, with his usual kind- 

 ness, took a great deal of trouble in the matter, and after 

 due investigation he sent this valuable and interesting 

 article, which I published in Land and Water, August 

 10, 1878, No. 655. 



AKTIFICIAL PEAKLS— HOW MADE FEOM THE 



SCALES OF BLEAK. 



Li a previous number of Land and Water, Mr. Frank 

 Buckland asked some kind fi'iend to instruct him in the 

 art of making imitation pearls. I beg to inform him 

 that in the Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1862 a 

 Frenchman made an excellent display of such wares, 

 also bottles containing liquid fish scales, glass beads, 

 &c., showing the whole process of manufactm^e; he 

 very artfully j)laced a row of large real and imitation 

 pearls alternately, and without close inspection it would 

 not have been possible for a judge to have selected the 

 real from the unreal. I herewith send some Roman 

 made pearls and some of the modern French, which 

 latter you will see are very fine. The old Roman pearls 



