PEARL FISHERY AT CEYLON. 407 



round the mufcular column above-mentioned, and 

 ends in the anus, which lies oppofite to the mouth, 

 and is covered with a imall thin leaf, like a flap. 

 Though the natives pretend to diftinguilh the fexes, 

 by the appearance of the fhell, I could not find auy 

 gcnitalia. The large flat ones they call males, and 

 thofe that are thick, concave, and vaulted, they call 

 females, or pedoo- chippy, but, on a clofe infpeclion, 

 I could not obferve any vilible fexual difference. 



It is remarkable that fome of thefe animals are as 

 red as blood, and that the infide of the fhell has the 

 lame colour, with the ufual pearly luftre, though 

 my fervants found a redifh pearl in an oyfter of this 

 colour; yet luch an event is very rare. The divers 

 attribute this rednefs to the ficknefs of the pearl fifh; 

 though it is moft probable that they had it from their 

 firit existence. In the fhade they will live twenty- 

 four hours after being taken out of the water. This 

 animal is eaten by the lower clafs of Indians, either 

 freih in their curries, or cured by drying ; in which 

 ftare they are exported to the coail: though I do nojt 

 think them by any means palatable. 



Within a mother of pearl (hell I found thirteen 

 mnrices nudati (vide Chemnitz's New Syftem, Cabt. 

 vol. XL tab. 192, f. 185 i and 1852), the largeft of 

 which was three quarters of an inch long; but as 

 many of them were putrid, and the pearl fifh itfelf 

 dead, I could not afcertain whether they had crept in 

 as enemies, or were drawn in by the animal itfelf. 

 At any rate turtles and crabs are inimical, to the ani- 

 mals, and a fmall living crab was found in one of 

 them. 



The pearls are only in the fofter part of the animal, 

 and never in that firm mufcular column above-men- 

 tioned. We find them in general near the earth, and 

 on both fides of the mouth. The natives entertain the 



fame 



