PEARLS AND PEARL FISHERIES. 57 



(1) Pearls of a regular form aud without faults ; in value those weighing 

 a decigram, are worth only 2 - 7 crowns (0-72 dol.); those weighing from 

 H to Si grams, from 1800 to 2600 crowns (482-40 to 696-80 dols.). 



(2) Rouud white pearls rf great lustre ; 30 grams, containing 800 pearls, 

 would be worth only 72 crowns (19-30 dols.); while the same weight in 

 50 pearls would be worth 1080 crowns (289-44 dols.). 



(3) Irregularly formed pearls, not without faults ; 30 grams of this 

 kind would be worth 55 to 75 crowns (14-74 to 20-10 dols.), according to 

 their condition. 



(4) Pearl-bulbs, which are found attached to the shells ; 30 grams are 

 worth from 25 to 36 crowns (6-70 to 9*65 dols.), according to their regularity 

 of form and brilliancy. 



(5) Seed-pearls, which are worth from 36 to 55 crowns (965 to 14-74 

 dols.) per pound. 



Mother-of-pearl fetches from 25 to 50 ore (6J to 13£ cents.) 

 per pound. The principal markets for pearls from the Pacific 

 are Hamburg, Amsterdam, London, and St. Petersburg. 



Besides the pearl-oyster, there is often found in the lagoons 

 of the Pacific Ocean a kind of Venus shell, which often contains 

 pearls of great value. Tne fishermen do not look for these pearls 

 at all, but it is presumed that it would pay to examine these 

 shells more systematically. 



In the Pacific there is found another pearl-producing mollusk, 

 whose shells greatly resemble those of the common Oyster. They 

 are always found attached to rocks, invariably one by itself; and 

 they are quite rare. Their pearls are always perfectly round, 

 with a fine lustre and a gold colour, of about the size of a pea. 



The Central American pearl fisheries are carried on on both 

 sides of the Isthmus of Panama. In the Bay of Panama are 

 located the Pearl Islands, of which San Jose is the most im- 

 portant, yielding every year from 800 to 1000 tons of mother-of- 

 pearl. In 1869 the English imported pearls valued at about 800,000 

 crowns (214,400 dols.) from New Granada and St. Thomas ; while 

 the average annual yield of the Panama fisheries is about 500,000 

 crowns (134,000 dols.). In the lower part of the Bay of Mulege, 

 in the Gulf of California, and near Los Coyntes, pearls of great 

 value have been found. It is generally supposed that a row of 

 pearl-beds extends from the Gulf of Darien to California. In the 

 last-mentioned bays, and on the coasts of Costa Rica and Central 



ZOOLOGIST. — FEB. 1888. F 



