246 MONOMYARIA.—AVICULADA. 
to receive a certain sum, or permission to fish on 
their own account. Some of those who pursue the 
latter plan are very successful, and become rich, 
while others are great losers by the speculation. 
The spirit of gambling is more openly exhibited, 
for oyster lotteries are carried on to a great extent, 
and they consist of purchasing a quantity of the 
oysters unopened, and running the chance of either 
finding or not finding pearls in them. These 
lotteries are great favourites with Huropean officers 
and gentlemen. The boat-owners and the mer- 
chants lose some of the best pearls while the 
boats are on their return to the bay from the 
banks, as the oysters when alive, and left for a 
time undisturbed, frequently open their shells of 
their own accord; a pearl may then be easily dis- 
covered, and the oyster prevented, by means of a 
bit of grass, or soft wood, from again closing its 
shell, till an opportunity offers of picking out the 
pearl. 
Captain Percival thus concludes his interesting 
account :—‘‘ As soon as the oysters are taken out 
of the boats, they are carried by the different 
people to whom they belong, and placed in holes 
or pits, dug in the ground to the depth of about 
two feet, or im small square places, cleared and 
fenced round for the purpose, each person having 
his own separate division. Mats are spread below 
them to prevent the oysters from touching the 
earth, and here they are left to die and rot. As 
soon as they have passed through a state of putre- 
faction, and have become dry, they are easily 
opened, without any danger of injuring the pearls, 
which might not be the case if they were opened 
fresh, as at that time to do so requires great force. 
