256 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



but they are coarse, rank, and disagreeable, although perfectly 

 wholesome. The pearls are usually lodged in the strong- 

 muscle of the fish, out of which the cable, as I have called it, 

 springs ; this is about the thickness of that part of a man's 

 hand which is next to the thumb. The flesh being semi-trans- 

 parent, the pearls are easily detected from their brightness, 

 which refracts the light. 



If it were in the power of a man to sift the bottom of one of 

 the Pacific pearl-oyster banks he would be certain to obtain an 

 enormous treasure, inasmuch as oysters after their seventh year 

 produce most largely, then die and discharge their contents. 

 It may be said literally of all localities where this valued 

 bivalve exists 



' There are jewels rich and rare 

 In the caverns of the deep. ' 



The pearl and pearl-shell fisheries of the Tuamotus date 

 practically from the time when the merchants of Valparaiso 

 found out that the Catholic missionaries in the Gambier Islands 

 had obtained several valuable parcels of pearls. They imme- 

 diately despatched vessels to obtain some, and though they 

 failed, so far as pearls themselves were concerned, they dis- 

 covered that pearl-shell or mother-of-pearl was easily obtainable 

 and extremely profitable ; and so the trade has continued, with 

 the usual fluctuations of fashion and market, down to the 

 present day. Messrs. Godeffroy on one occasion shipped to 

 Europe in one parcel pearls to the value of <4000, the product 

 of a few months' collection among the Tuamotus. Beach- 

 combers also, who had been daring enough to land upon remote 

 lagoon isles and had managed to escape the cannibals, fre- 

 quently used to realise large sums of money by the sale of 

 parcels of these gems. Thus a certain man Bird was well 



