PEARL FISHERY. 151 



sieve, are of the first class ; and go on to the second and third. It 

 remains, however, for an after examination, to decide on other qualities 

 which give value to the pearls, as their regularity of form, colour, &c. 

 It is somewhat strange, that while we in Europe most esteem the pearls 

 that are purely white, the people of the island prefer those which are rose 

 coloured, and the Indians, and other Orientals, those which are yellow. 



Besides these colours, pearls are found of a delicate blue tint, and 

 some have a golden or a silvery tint. 



The pearl is a malady of the oyster, which requires seven years to 

 develope itself completely. If the shell is not fished at that time, tha 

 animal dies, or the pearl is lost. When the season happens to be stormy, 

 the oysters often suffer, and their produce is consequently diminished. 

 Perhaps, on these occasions they open and disgorge their pearls. The pearl 

 oyster is the same size as our own, but oval in shape and flat on one 

 side. The testaceous fish enclosed in the shell has a beard like the muscle. 



At the time of this fishery at Ceylon, besides the numerous speculators 

 that come from India, there arrive annually troops of Indian artizans, 

 who are very expect in piercing or drilling the pearls, and who practice 

 their art on the spot for very moderate wages. These men sit in the 

 open air before the hut of the fisher or speculator by whom they may be 

 employed. Nothing can well be more simple than the implements they 

 use; these are merely a block of wood, in the form of an inverted cone, 

 which rests on three legs, and whose upper surface is pierced with 

 circular holes of various diameter, fitted to receive the variously sized 

 pearls. Their drill is merely a short sharp needle, inserted in a stick 

 which is made circular at the top, and set in motion by a bow like those 

 used by a watch maker. 



They hold the right hand between the bow and the pearl, and move 

 the bow with the left hand. Sitting on the ground cross-legged, they 

 keep the block of wood between their knees, and apply the drill 

 perpendicularly to the pearl, which they are said to pierce with 

 extraordinary rapidity and correctness. 



During the prosecution of the fishery, few places can be more animated 

 than the western point of Ceylon. The oysters, or the cleansed pearls, 

 are bought and sold on the spot; and besides this trade, the confluence 

 of so many crowds from different countries attracts dealers in all sorts 

 of merchandize. 



The long line of huts is a continuous bazaar, and all is life and activity; 

 but the fishery over, both natives and strangers depart, the huts are 

 knocked down, scarcely a human habitation can be seen for miles, and 

 the most dreary solitude prevails until the next year. 



