Distribution of Pearls and Pearl-shell. 85 



and Findhorn, in Inverness-shire ; and the rivers of the 

 counties of Kerry, Donegal, Tyrone, Wexford, etc., in 

 Ireland. These fisheries have been described by many 

 writers from the time of the Venerable Bede (673 735 

 A.D.) to the present day, and allusion has been made to 

 the prevalent belief in the dew-drop origin of the gems'. 



On the continent of Europe the abundance of pearls 

 in the mussels of the lakes and rivers has also given rise 

 to many important fisheries. Little is known, however, of 

 their early history, except that some of these localities 

 appear to have been exploited by the Romans. It is 

 probable that some are of an even earlier date, possibly 

 owing their inauguration to Phoenician influence, as in the 

 British Isles. 



The principal areas where pearl fishing has been 

 carried on in modern times are France, Germany, Austria, 

 Scandinavia, Denmark and Russia. 



In the east of France the pearl fisheries of the 

 Vologne, in the department of the Vosges, are of special 

 interest and have been celebrated for centuries, while in 

 the western part of the country the pearl mussels have 

 been exploited in the Adour, the Charente, the Gironde 

 and tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne and their 

 affluents, and many other streams. In Germany the pearl 

 fisheries are most important in the streams of the southern 

 districts, in Bavaria, Saxony and Silesia. In Austria the 

 fisheries have been prosecuted in the province of Bohemia 

 from very early times. The fisheries of the Wottawa River 

 were noted in 1560 and this river has long been known 

 as " the gold- and pearl-bearing brook." Formerly 

 along its shores, gold washing was more or less carried on, 

 as well as the fresh-water pearl-mussel industry. In 

 Hungary the native pearls have been popular with the 

 Magyar women from early times, and very many yet 



