142 PEARLS AND PEARLING 



to a long pole and the pearl hunter stands in an anchored 

 boat and presses the fork down among the mussels, often 

 using the side of the boat as a fulcrum to force the fork 

 under the shells. By loosening the shells and shaking 

 them into the basket part of the fork he is then able to 

 raise them and throw them into the boat. The long fork 

 is also used in fishing for mussels through holes in the 

 ice, in which case the ice is used as a fulcrum. In using 

 the fork for "long-forking" some men use wire and build 

 a net a few inches above the fork, which adds to the 

 capacity of the basket of the fork. The fact is the best 

 forks for this use do not have the proper shape to do 

 this kind of work as well and as easily as they should. It 

 is too easy for the mussels to roll off the forks. It is to 

 be hoped that some manufacturer of forks will make one 

 which will be more efficient and easier to use. The 

 "long-fork" method is a very successful one in many 

 places, and some men prefer it to any other for all sea- 

 sons of the year. 



There is another appliance that is used occasionally 

 which is known as the shoulder rake. These are often 

 a plain garden rake with a coarse wire net attached back 

 of the teeth. Others are larger and are made by a black- 

 smith. In using the shoulder rakes a boat is anchored 

 and the pearl hunter places the rakes in the water and 

 gradually pulls it toward the boat, where the basket is 

 emptied. The shoulder rake is also used to fish through 

 the ice. It is not an important appliance, yet there are 

 some places where it can be used fairly well. 



The eagle-claw clam rake is very popular among the 



