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LULEAN LAPLAXD. 105 



si^'ned himself to the force of the current. 

 Where the water was shallow, he stood up- 

 right on his raft ; but where the depth was 

 considerable, he lay at full length, with his 

 face downwards, looking over the edge of 

 the raft. 



By means of a pair of wooden pincers, 

 two fathoms in length, he laid hold of the 

 pearl oysters (rather muscles, Mi/a mar- 

 garitifcra^) and drew them up. The part 

 of the pincers below the joint or hinge was 

 about a span long, and of three fingers 

 breadth, hollowed out at the points, one of 

 which was curved, the other flat. Taking the 

 other end of these pincers in his hands, he 

 easily directed them to the spot where he 

 saw the shells lying. 



The latter were generally open, so that 

 they might readily be discerned by the 

 whiteness of their inside ; but when the 

 water is very much agitated, the animals 

 immediately close their shells, though de- 

 stitute of eyes or ears. 



The form of the shell is elliptic-oblong, 



