The Wing Shells, Pearl Oysters and Hammer Oysters 



ported. Amsterdam, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Paris and Lon- 

 don are the great markets for these. Bagdad is the chief market 

 for white seed pearls from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Bom- 

 bay distributes round pearls of yellowish colour, for which Hin- 

 dus have a preference. 



White pearls are the most valuable, outranking yellow, 

 green, pink and gray ones which are also held in high esteem, 

 especially when two or more are perfectly matched. Globular 

 pearls, free from flaws or discoloration, bring the highest prices. 

 Pear-shaped ones rank next in value. Any form, so it be symmet- 

 rical and pleasing, is acceptable. Perfect pearls increase in price 

 in geometrical ratio with increased weight and size. Pearls are 

 not worked or polished, as most gems are. They are very 

 soft, with a lustre nothing can improve. 



No shells under five years old contain pearls of value. The 

 growth of the sixth year doubles their value in mother-of-pearl. 

 The seventh year again doubles it. The restriction of fishing 

 protects these young mollusks, and prolongs the life of the in- 

 dustry which, when unrestricted, exhausts the beds. In many 

 places diving suits are never used, and dredging is forbidden by 

 law. A famous Chinese fishery is worked one season, then it is 

 left undisturbed for ten or fifteen years. 



The pearl fishery at Bahreim, on the Persian Gulf calls to- 

 gether for the spring season, March, April and May, thousands 

 of persons. The divers bring their families, and build huts of 

 palm and bamboo. Boats carrying fifteen to twenty men go daily 

 to the banks which lie under ten to twelve fathoms of water. 



The diver is naked, his body rubbed with oil. He stuffs his 

 nose and ears with cotton. A clamp is often worn on the nose. 

 He carries a knife to fight off sharks, and to loosen the oysters, 

 A basket hangs on his neck. He has a bar with a large shot at 

 each end under his feet. He is framed by three wooden pieces 

 attached to the loaded bar. A rope lets this frame down and 

 hauls it up in two minutes or less time. The diver has about 

 seventy-five oysters. Fifty times a day he will take the trip. 



The two great afflictions of divers are rheumatism and ulcers. 

 The reward of this exhausting form of labour is a fluctuating, 

 elusive thing. The uncertainty of it does not lessen its hold on 

 the people who take it as a matter of course. The Ceylon fish- 

 eries give the diver one-fourth of his shells, divided when he 

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