116 HOW PEARLS ABE FORMED. 



is a subject that has been much debated in ancient and mod- 

 ern times. The illustrious Pliny (who died in the year 79), 

 as one of the most enlightened of the old philosophers, says 

 that '' the pearl was produced by the dews of heaven fall- 

 ing into the open shells at the breeding-time. The quality 

 of the pearl varied according to the amount of the dew 

 imbibed, being lustrous if that were pure, dull if it were 

 foul ; cloudy weather spoilt the color, lightning stopped the 

 growth, and thunder made the shell-fish unproductive, and 

 to eject hollow husks called bubbles." 



The same naturalist also relates a story how the shoals 

 of pearl-oysters had " a king, distinguished by his age and 

 size, exactly as bees have a queen, wonderfully expert in 

 keeping his subject out of harm's way, but if the divers once 

 succeeded in catching him, the rest straying about blindly, 

 fell an easy prey. Although defended by a body-guard of 

 sharks, and dwelling among the rocks of the abyss, they 

 cannot be preserved from ladies' ears." 



These are very pretty and fanciful ideas, as were many 

 fictions of the pagans, and the British poet Moore, has al- 

 luded to them in one of his sweet melodies : — 



** And precious the tear as that rain from the sky 

 Which turns into pearls as it falls in the sea." 



Some naturalists have suggested that pearls are the un- 

 fructified eggs of the oyster, others that the jewel is a mor- 

 bid concretion produced by the endeavor of the animal in 

 the shell to fill up cavities ; the general opinion, however, 

 seems to prevail thus : most shelly animals which are 

 aquatic are provided with a fluid secretion with which they 

 line their dwellings to render them smooth and polished for 

 their tenderly-formed bodies. This fine even lining is seen 

 in shells of every description. The fluid is laid in extreme- 

 ly thin semi-transparent threads, which gives the interior of 

 the shell the benutifnl play of color, so often observed. As 



