56 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



A skilled hand can open a ton per day, and not miss a single 

 pearl. The rnother-of-pearl is laid in a shady place, that the 

 colours may not fade. When there is a famine, the mollusks are 

 eaten by the natives. The pearls are generally found in the 

 place where the band before mentioned starts. In shells where 

 many pearls are found, they are generally small and misshaped. 

 Occasionally pearls are found loose in the shells. These are 

 always of a very fine quality, perfectly round, and often very 

 large. But there is hardly one in a thousand Oysters which con- 

 tains such pearls. The natives often lose them, owing to the 

 careless way in which they open the shells. 



Fine and calm weather is most favourable for pearl -fishing. 

 The divers wear no special suit, but simply rub their body with 

 oil, that the sun may not blister their skin. They remain under 

 water one to two minutes, and bring up Oysters from a depth of 

 twenty fathoms. They rarely go to such a depth, but the finest 

 Oysters are found there. Thus in many fishing-grounds, which 

 were supposed to be exhausted, a great many pearl Oysters are 

 found in deep water. 



In the Southern Pacific, pearl fisheries are principally carried 

 on near the Navigator's Islands in the Paumotu Archipelago. 

 Many of these fishing grounds are partly and some are entirely 

 neglected. Thus the island of Manihiki twenty years ago yielded 

 100 tons of shells in eighteen months; but since that time no 

 pearl fisheries have been carried on there. The Hogolen Lagoon 

 is also known as a vast unexplored pearl-oyster bed. So far the 

 Paumotu Archipelago is said to have produced 25,000 tons of 

 mother-of-pearl, valued at 18,000,000 crowns (4,824,000 dols.). 

 Nearly the entire quantity goes to Tahiti, to be exported thence. 

 In 1873, 2000 tons of shells were exported; the pearls having a 

 value of about 140,000 crowns (37,520 dols.). In 1878 Tahiti 

 exported 591 tons of shells, valued at 638,280 crowns (171,059*04 

 dols.), and pearls valued at 108,000 crowns (28,944 dols.). In 

 1679 there were exported 470 tons of shells, valued at 507,600 

 crowns (136,036"80 dols.), and pearls valued at 72,000 crowns 

 (19,296 dols.). In 1875 an export duty of 30 crowns (8'04 dols.) 

 per ton was levied ; this duty, however, was abolished in 1878, and 

 since that time the exportation has again increased. 



On the islands of the Pacific the pearls are classified as follows 

 (see Simmonds's ' Commercial Products of the Sea,' p. 425) : — 



