Tin: CEYLON PEARL-OYSTER. 041 



LXXXVa, had its central cavity lined witli Iiyinstracuni, as in 

 the pearls described from the unlahelled spccinjens in the Jiiitish 

 Museum. The other had a central cavity lined on one .si<le l)y 

 a hilum-like plug of hypostracuni, giving the pearl a reniform 

 outline, and on the opposite side by columnar substance, going 

 over into nacre. Two of these muscle-pearls were composed of 

 several fused units. 



There remain three pearls which have some claims to be treated 

 as parenchyma-pearls. One of these, which was not sectioned, h:id 

 in its centre a string of brownish granular matter, 'Gf) mm. long 

 by '17 mm. wide, of doubtful origin (Preparntion LXXXV o). 

 Another (text-figure 41, A &, 15, Preparation LXXXV l) had 

 a pseudo-nucleus '1 mm. in diameter, which, examined entire, 

 might have been taken for the remains of a minute Platy- 

 helminthian pai-asite, but which on section proved to be made 

 up in great part of amor|)hous repair-substance. Finally, one 

 pearl (Preparation LXXXV k), a round peail just under 2 nun. 

 in diameter, possessing apparently all the exteinal qualities 

 of a parenchyma-pearl, had for its centre a j)seudo-nuc!eus f)f 

 stratified columnar substance, 1 mm. in diameter', surrounding 

 a sand -grain -35 mm. in diameter. 



G. Pearls from Margaritifera vu]giivis frovi the 

 Gulf of Kutch. 



Being for the moment unable to oV)tain freshly preserved 

 material from Ceylon or Madras, I endeavoured tooVjtain examples 

 of the same species, preserved with pearls in situ, from Northern 

 India, and through the courtesy of His Highness the Jam Saheb 

 of Nawanagar, better known to most people in this country as 

 Prince Ilanjitsinhji, I was supplied in October last with a valuable 

 collection of preserved oysters, containing pearls, from the 

 Nawanagar fishery. I wish here to record my indebtedness to His 

 Highness, and to Mr. Merwanji Pestonji, liewan of Nawanagar-, 

 for their help. My thanks are also due to Dr. G. A. Grierson, 

 CLE., Director of the Linguistic Survey of India, and to Mr. R. 

 E. Enthoven, I.C.S., for putting me in communication with the 

 Airthorities of the State. 



The detailed histological examination of this material will take 

 some time, but I have decalcified and sectione<l a number of pearls, 

 free an<l in situ, for purposes of comparison with the mater-ial from 

 other sources. 



As the Nawanagar fishery is little known to biologists, the 

 following information, supplied to me by the Dewan, may be of 

 interest. 



The fishery, which belongs to H.H. the Jam Saheb, is car'r'ied 

 on on thesoirthern shor-e of the Gulf of Kutch, during the South- 

 "VV^est Monsoon season, from June onwards. The ground on which 

 the pearl-oyster is found is "• usually the sloping bank of a reef, 

 facing east or south-east, consisting of shingly sand and small 



