48 PEARLS AND PEARLING 



for pearls in Caddo Lake in 1912. Many of these were 

 teachers, clerks and others on a vacation. Only a part 

 were regular pearl hunters. They secured the mussels 

 by wading in and picking them up. 



Virginia and West Virginia have both yielded a few 

 fine pearls. 



Wisconsin is another of our best pearl States. Most 

 of the pearls were found in mussels taken from the 

 Sugar River and other streams in the southern part of 

 the State and from the Mississippi River. The first 

 "pearl fever" was in 1889 when some very valuable 

 pearls were found. The pearls from Wisconsin were 

 principally purplish red, copper red, and dark pink, al- 

 though some were peacock green and other shades of 

 green. 



Canadian rivers also contain pearls. A fine round pink 

 pearl weighing thirty grains was found near St. John, 

 New Brunswick. Hunters and fishermen have also found 

 them in other parts of Canada; but there has not been 

 much pearl hunting done in that part of the continent. 



In the accounts mentioned it will be observed that 

 pearls are found in many rivers. 



Mussels grow in practically all streams in which fish 

 may be found. They are more abundant in districts 

 where there is plenty of limestone.. 



Pearls are scarce every where. While many rivers 

 have not been mentioned, it is probable that many con- 

 tain both mussels and pearls, and later we shall learn of 

 many important pearl streams that are not thought of 

 now. 



