curs here both on the east and west coast 

 and as far south on the Pacific Coast as 

 the northern boundary of Guatemala. 

 It is also found on the Brazilian coast 

 and the western shores of South Ameri- 

 ca. 



The California Pearl fisheries were in 

 operation at the time of the invasion by 

 Cortez and he sent a number of fine 

 Pearls which he obtained there to the 

 Queen of Spain. Since that time the 

 fisheries have been carried on with a 

 varying degree of persistence from time 

 to time, the beds having occasionally be- 

 come practically exhausted through too 

 reckless dredging. The right to work 

 the beds is held by the Mexican govern- 

 ment, and the fisheries are leased by it to 

 different companies. Both the shells 

 and the Pearls are of value, the 

 sales of the one reaching as high a figure 

 as of the other. Black Pearls are the 

 specialty of these fisheries and some of 

 the finest known have been found here. 

 The total annual product from the fish- 

 eries reaches at the present time a value 

 of half a million dollars a year. Amer- 

 ican Pearls arc known in trade as "Pan- 

 ama" Pearls and bring a somewhat lower 

 price than those of the Orient. 



Besides the Pearl oyster of the sea, a 

 number of mussels which make their 

 home in the beds of fresh water streams 

 or lakes produce fine Pearls. These 

 mollusks belong chiefly to the family 

 Unionidae, and include many species. 

 They are bivalves and live both in the 

 beds of running streams and in still 

 bodies of water on muddy bottoms. They 

 are usually to be found at a depth below 

 the surface of the water of from two to 

 twenty feet. They lie either on the sur- 

 face of the mud or partly imbedded in 

 it, ^and with their valves slightly open, 

 to allow access of water containing oxy- 

 gen and food. At the slightest touch 

 the valves close and remain so until dan- 

 ger is past. The lumbermen of Canada 

 take advantage of this peculiarity to 

 collect the mollusks (for food) bv tying 

 bushes on the rear of their rafts as they 

 float down stream, to which the clams 

 attach themselves in considerable num- 

 bers. A somewhat similar method is 

 pursued by the fishermen of the Missis- 

 sippi valley, who collect the clams in 

 igreat numbers for the manufacture of 



Pearl buttons. They row about with 

 long iron rods fastened across their 

 boats, from which at intervals series of 

 hooks and chains dangle in the water, 

 and to these the mollusks attach them- 

 selves. The mollusks are removed from 

 their shells by boiling, hence any Pearls 

 which they might contain are rendered 

 worthless. The same method of fishing 

 might, however, be used to gather shells 

 for Pearls. Other methods used to gather 

 the mollusks to search for Pearls are, 

 raking the bottom with an iron rake, 

 wading with naked feet and picking up 

 any projecting shell as it is felt, or sys- 

 tematic dredging. The use of a water 

 telescope is said to facilitate the work of 

 individual search for mollusks likely to 

 contain Pearls. It consists simply of a 

 long, light, wooden box, one end of which 

 is strapped to the face, while the other, 

 covered with glass, is immersed in the 

 water. Provided with this appliance the 

 bottom of a river or lake can be 

 searched carefully. Enormous quanti- 

 ties of the Unios are destroyed in the 

 search for Pearls and the supply has 

 become considerably diminished in con- 

 sequence. This waste might be avoided 

 if care was used in ripening the shell 

 not to injure the animal. This work 

 is performed in Germany by a thin blade 

 of steel about an inch in width and bent 

 at a right angle about an inch from the 

 end. The thin blade is inserted between 

 the vah^s and then turned at right an- 

 gles so that the shell is opened the width 

 of the blade. The operator can then feel 

 about for Pearls and if none are found 

 return the mollusk to the water without 

 having injured it. The search for Pearls 

 in this country is usually carried on by 

 persons out of regular employment and 

 h?s rarely been reduced to a systematic 

 occ.ipation. The total value of the 

 Pearls which have been obtained, how- 

 ever, is great and their price is steadily 

 increasing. One of the first Pearls found 

 in this country was obtained near Pater- 

 son. New Jersey, in 1857. This Pearl 

 brought at its first sale $2,500, and is to- 

 day worth $10,000. A sky-blue Pearl 

 weighing ninety-three grains, found in 

 Caney Fork, Tennessee, in 1897, was 

 sold in London for $3,300. Pearls valued 

 at from $100 to $1,000 are frequently 

 found in the waters of the interior States, 



42 



