An Account of the Pearl Fifbery at Ceylon. 345 
fence; others dig holes of almoft a foot deep, and throw 
them in till the animal dies; after which they open the 
fhells, and take out the pearls with more eafe. Even thefe 
{quares and holes are fold by auétion after the fifhery is 
finifhed, as pearls often remain there mixed with the fand. 
In fpite of every care, tricks in picking out the pearls from 
the oyfters can hardly be prevented. In this the natives are 
extremely dexterous. The following is one mode they put 
“in practice to effeét their purpofe: when a boat-owner em- 
ploys a number of hired people to colle& pearls, he places 
ever them an infpector of his own, in whom he can confide 5 
thefe hirelings previoufly agree that one of them fhall play 
the part of a thief, and bear the punifhment, to give his 
comrades an opportunity of pilfering. If one of the gang 
happens to meet with a large pearl, he makes a fign to his 
accomplice, who inftantly conveys away one of fmall value, 
purpofely, in fuch a manner as to attra& notice. On this 
the infpeCtor and the reft of the men take the pearl from 
him: he is then punifhed, and turned out of their company. 
In the mean time, while he is making a dreadful uproar, the 
real thief fecures the valuable pearl, and afterwards the booty 
is fhared with him who fuffered for them all. Befides tricks 
like thefe, the boat-owners and purchafers often lofe many 
of the beft pearls while the dony is returning from the bank ; 
for, as long as the animal is alive, and untouched, the fhells 
are frequently open near an inch; and if any of them con- 
_ tain a large pearl, it is eafily difcovered, and taken out by 
means of a {mall piece of ftiff grafs, or bit of ftick, without 
hurting the pearl fifh. In this praétice they are extremely 
expert. Some of them were difcovered whilft I was there, 
and received their due punifhment. 
Gmelin afks, if the animal of the mytilus margaritiferus is 
an a/cidia ? See Linn, Syft. Nat. tom. I. p. vi. 3350. This 
induces me to believe that it has never yet beén accurately 
defcribed; it does not refemble the a/cidia of Linnzus, and 
_ may, perhaps, form a new genus, It is faftened to the upper 
and lower fhells by two white flat pieces of mufcular fub- 
ftance, which are called by Houttuin* ears, and extend 
* Vide Houtt. Nat. Hift. Vol. I. p. xv, p, 381, feq. 
Vou. VY. Yy about 
