﻿364 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [12] 
  

  

  and 
  ears 
  with 
  cotton 
  soaked 
  in 
  oil, 
  and 
  places 
  a 
  band 
  over 
  bis 
  month. 
  

   Thus 
  equipped 
  he 
  goes 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  40 
  feet, 
  remains 
  53 
  to 
  90 
  seconds 
  

   under 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  ascends 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  rope 
  which 
  has 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  bim. 
  The 
  Tuamotu 
  diver, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  does 
  not 
  use 
  any 
  

   of 
  this 
  apparatus 
  or 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  precautious. 
  All 
  his 
  preparation 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  in 
  vigorously 
  exercising 
  his 
  luugs 
  by 
  inhaling 
  and 
  exhaling 
  in 
  an 
  

   energetic 
  manner 
  a 
  few 
  moments 
  before 
  plunging 
  into 
  the 
  water. 
  After 
  

   this, 
  he 
  takes 
  a 
  last 
  and 
  copious 
  supply 
  of 
  air, 
  and 
  then, 
  divested 
  of 
  

   every 
  vestige 
  of 
  clothing, 
  he 
  Jets 
  himself 
  drop 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  feet 
  fore- 
  

   most, 
  without 
  the 
  slightest 
  weight 
  to 
  accelerate 
  his 
  descent. 
  He 
  de- 
  

   scends 
  not 
  merely 
  40 
  feet, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  25 
  to 
  30 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  remains 
  

   under 
  the 
  water 
  not 
  90 
  seconds, 
  at 
  most, 
  but 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  minutes 
  ; 
  and 
  

   having 
  made 
  his 
  haul 
  rises 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  a 
  rope, 
  in 
  

   an 
  incredibly 
  short 
  time. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  islands 
  rub 
  their 
  bodies 
  

   with 
  oil 
  to 
  protect 
  them 
  against 
  the 
  burning 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  the 
  cor- 
  

   rosive 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  sea- 
  water; 
  but 
  in 
  no 
  place 
  was 
  I 
  able 
  to 
  observe 
  

   anything 
  of 
  the 
  kind. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  concerned, 
  the 
  natives 
  have 
  

   nothing 
  to 
  fear 
  from 
  its 
  rays; 
  for, 
  although 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  Islands 
  are 
  

   under 
  the 
  tropics, 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  not 
  unbearable 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  

   greatly 
  moderated 
  by 
  the 
  currents 
  of 
  air 
  which 
  prevail. 
  Cases 
  of 
  sun- 
  

   stroke 
  are 
  unknown, 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  lagoons 
  

   rarely 
  exceeds 
  25° 
  centigrade 
  [77° 
  Fahr.]. 
  Each 
  plunge 
  into 
  great 
  

   depths 
  averages 
  from 
  one 
  minute 
  to 
  a 
  minute 
  and 
  a 
  half, 
  rarely 
  two 
  

   minutes, 
  aud 
  only 
  in 
  exceptional 
  cases 
  three 
  minutes. 
  

  

  Some 
  business 
  houses 
  have 
  endeavored, 
  but 
  without 
  success, 
  to 
  intro- 
  

   duce 
  swimming-suits 
  among 
  the 
  natives. 
  They 
  refuse 
  to 
  wear 
  them, 
  

   alleging, 
  and 
  with 
  some 
  apparent 
  reason, 
  that 
  these 
  suits 
  would 
  rapidly 
  

   produce 
  paralysis 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  limbs. 
  Three 
  Europeans 
  use 
  swimming- 
  

   suits, 
  and 
  consequently 
  make 
  rich 
  hauls. 
  They 
  also 
  maintain 
  that 
  these 
  

   suits 
  keep 
  away 
  the 
  sharks. 
  They 
  rarely 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  without 
  

   bringing 
  up 
  several 
  pieces 
  of 
  mother-of-pearl 
  at 
  a. 
  time; 
  while 
  the 
  native 
  

   fisherman 
  must 
  be 
  content 
  to 
  detach 
  them 
  rapidly 
  one 
  by 
  one, 
  it 
  being 
  

   a 
  very 
  rare 
  case 
  that 
  he 
  brings 
  up 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  piece 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  His 
  

   first 
  care, 
  when 
  under 
  the 
  water, 
  is 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  valves 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   pressed 
  closely 
  together, 
  for 
  fear 
  that 
  the 
  animal, 
  roughly 
  torn 
  from 
  the 
  

   object 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  adhered, 
  and 
  feeling 
  a 
  pain 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  tearing 
  of 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  threads 
  of 
  its 
  byssus, 
  might, 
  by 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  its 
  organs, 
  

   eject 
  the 
  pearl 
  which 
  it 
  contains. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  external 
  characteristic 
  

   marks 
  indicating 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  pearls 
  in 
  the 
  oyster. 
  ^Nevertheless, 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  dive 
  for 
  certain 
  oysters 
  in 
  prefer- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  others, 
  guided 
  by 
  the 
  looks, 
  shape, 
  and 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  shell. 
  But 
  

   all 
  these 
  indications 
  are 
  very 
  indefinite; 
  and 
  only 
  in 
  exceptional 
  cases 
  

   have 
  1 
  seen 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  by 
  the 
  indications 
  given 
  above, 
  

   realize 
  the 
  expectations 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  