MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND PEARLS 851 



"One day," said Jules, "when they were cleaning 

 the big mill-race I found some shells that shone in- 

 side like mother-of-pearl." 



We have in our streams and ditches shells in two 

 parts of a greenish black. They are called fresh- 

 water mussels. Their inside is mother-of-pearl. 

 , very large and living by preference in moun- 

 tain streams, even produce pearls. But these pearls 

 are far from having the luster and consequently the 

 price of those of the meleagrina." 



