260 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC, 



what became of it. In the larger padhtia these pearls are found 

 in the body of the fish (as they are in the true peari-oyste : 

 they are very common, so much so that in some places, such as 

 the coral lagoons near the Equator, a man may collect a 

 hundred or more out of a day's fishing ; but they are generally 

 of irregular shapes, and perfectly opaque, like bone. Such as 

 are well-formed and of sufficient lustre to be called gems are 

 rare ; but are nevertheless to be met with occasionally of so 

 great a size as to induce the belief that if the search for them 

 were systematically pursued, the fishers would stand a very 

 good chance of making a fortune. I have never known anyone 

 to fish for these shells for the sake of their pearls ; but from 

 those paakuas which we were in the habit of eating, I have 

 seen some extracted of good shape, quite opaque, and of the 

 appearance of bone, and as large as a Snider bullet I have 

 seen others again milky or semi-transparent, or like a dirty 

 white opal, without any play of colours, but sometimes a little 

 brilliancy at one end.' 



There is another kind of shell in this latitude which produces 

 pearls of fine quality, but generally not of great size. The 

 largest I have seen are about the size of a pea ; they are 

 perf ectly round and of golden colour, and very lustrous. The 

 shell is similar to that of the oyster ; tie underside is ah 

 firmly amalgamated with the rock, so as to form part of it, and 

 cannot be broken off ; the upper valve is like a lid, with a very 

 strong hinge. These shells are not found in clusters, but 

 detached, which causes them to be somewhat scarce. 



So much for the pearl-oyster fishing of the Pacific in 

 which two good friends of mine are now actively en- 

 gaged. 



I have alluded over and over again to the 'beachcombers' 

 of Coral Lands. The veteran l beachcombers ' are those who 



