IMPROVING ITS QUALITY. 275 



with whom he had wagered to give a more costly banquet 

 than the Spaniard could. 



An extraordinary pearl belonged to the late Mr. Hope 

 of Deepdene. It measured two inches in length, four in 

 circumference, and weighed eighteen hundred grains. 



Great regularity of shape (oval, pyriform, or circular), 

 a beautiful " water," or a vivid white tint, with brilliant 

 gleams like those of an opal what jewellers call a bel 

 orient and a considerable size, are the qualities which 

 give value to a pearl. And when these are found com- 

 bined, the ocean-jewel may fairly challenge comparison 

 with topaz or emerald. Its serious defect is its liability, 

 from some unknown cause, to a sudden loss of colour. 



It is said that the lustrousness of the pearl is greatly 

 increased if a pigeon is made to swallow it. Redi asserts 

 that he proved by experiments the efficacy of this ap- 

 parently absurd device. At the same time, he warns us 

 that the jewel should not remain too long in the bird's 

 digestive tube, as in twenty-four hours it loses one-third 

 of its weight. 



This method is adopted in Ceylon, where, according to 

 the Asiatic Journal, the chicken to which the pearl has 

 been entrusted for improvement is killed at the expiry of 

 a minute or two. The friction which it undergoes in the 

 bird's stomach, and, we suppose, the action of the gastric 

 juices, are held to account for a result which, we think, 

 might be obtained by some less barbarous process. 



The pearl-fishery now demands our attention. 



In Ceylon, the principal locality is a bank about twenty 

 miles in length, ten or twelve miles from shore, off the 

 villages of Coiidatchy and Aripo. The season begins 



