192 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 



a tank of water, where they remain a few days, 

 till most of the flesh has decayed. 



Then they are taken out, and so thoroughly 

 cleansed and washed that nothing but the skele- 

 ton remains. This yellow, horny skeleton is 

 what we call a sponge, but, as a matter of fact, it 

 is what is left of a sponge after the parts that 

 once had life have perished. 



Pearls are perhaps the most precious products 

 of the sea, and we will close our account of the 

 harvest which man reaps from its waters by a few 

 words concerning pearls. A good pearl is round, 

 like a pea, and it shows mild rainbow colors upon 

 its surface as it is turned over and over. 



Pearls are found inside the shells of the pearl- 

 oyster. They are made of the same substance as 

 the shells themselves, and get their color and 

 luster from the same sources. 



Pearl-oysters have large, flat shells. They grow 

 in water about fifty feet deep. The best ones 

 come from off the coast of Ceylon, though they 

 are found in many other parts of the ocean. 



Native divers go down to the bottom, gather 

 shells into a basket, and are drawn up again, all 

 in the course of a minute. Like the sponges, the 

 oysters are taken from the water and left to de- 

 cay, and then the pearls are carefully gathered. 



