[ SIS 1 



THE PEARL MUSCLE*. 



The Pearl Muscle has a flattened and nearly or- 

 bicular shell, about eight inches long, and somewhat 

 more in breadth. The colour of the exterior is very 

 various, being in some individuals sea-green, in 

 others chesnut, or even bloom colour, with white 

 rays, and sometimes whitish, with green rays. The 

 young shells resemble Scallops, having ears as long 

 as the shell. 



The Pearl is a calculus or morbid concretion, 

 which is produced not only in this but sometimes 

 even in the Common Oysters and Muscles; but 

 in these it is generally very small, and of little value. 

 It' is found both in the body of the animal and in 

 the shells on the outside of the body. 



The principal fishery for pearls is on the coast of 

 Tinevelly, in Eastern Hindostan, where the natives 

 find them of such commercial importance as to em- 

 ploy in the fishery several hundreds of small vessels. 

 The pearls are taken at two seasons of the year, in 

 March and April, and again in August and Septem- 

 ber. They do not, however, fith every year ; for 

 if, upon trial, they do not find the pearls sufficiently 

 valuable, they abstain till the ensuing season to 

 allow them time to increase their size. 



A cord is fastened under the arms of the divers, 

 and held by the persons in the boat ; and, to acce- 

 lerate their descent, the divers have a perforated 



* Mytilus maigaritiferer.s. Livn. 



