26 
taken in Germany, toward the production of artificial 
pearls from Unios, in‘a manner similar to that practiced 
by the Chinese. Flat tin figures, usually of fish, were in- 
troduced between the mantle and the shell. Similar ex- 
periments were conducted in the Royal Saxon pear! fish- 
eries. Either small foreign bodies were introduced into 
the mantle, in order to furnish the nucleus for the free 
pearl formation, or the Chinese method of inserting such 
bodies between the mantle and the shell, was followed. 
From the second method successful results were shown. 
The foreign bodies that had been introduced were poor 
pearls from other mussels, pieces of grain, or china but- 
tons, and were entirely covered with nacreous substance. 
The shape of these objects makes it impossible for the 
mantle to fit closely around them, and hence the nacre 
covers them so irregularly that little or no use can be made 
of them, and ornamental devices coated with a beautiful 
nacre would undoubtedly find ready purchasers at a fair 
price. From specimens exhibited, it was shown that Ger- 
man oysters could be made to cover a plain relief with 
nacre, as well as those of China. The cultivation of such 
forms in this country might lead to considerable income ; 
and the brooks could be as easily protected as trout brooks 
or ponds are. 
Efforts to make the river pearl mussel available in an- 
other way met with better success, and are worthy of con- 
sideration in the United States, and may lead to a new 
industry. In 1850, Moritz Schmerler conceived the idea of 
making small fancy articles of the shells themselves, and 
succeeded so well that the German Government allowed 
him to take from the Royal beds the shells needed for his 
manufacturing business. Large numbers of pearl shell 
pocket-books and hand-satchels have been made since 
then. The almost faultless white and reddish tinted 
‘“rose-pearl mussels’’ are specially prized for this pur- 
pose, as the material may be cut so thin that a photograph 
