Ancient Ideas on their Origin and Virtues. 53 



of the month Nisan, a certain dew falleth down 

 into the waters, which being gathered, the inhabi- 

 tants wrap together, and being fast closed they 

 cast it into the sea, that it may sink of its own 

 accord to the bottom of the sea, and in the middle 

 of the month Tisri, two men being let down by 

 ropes unto the bottom, bring up certain creeping 

 worms, which they have gathered, into the open air, 

 out of which — being broken and cleft — these stones 

 are taken." 



It is worthy of remark that this rain or dew- 

 origin of Pearls as we may call it — was found by 

 Columbus to exist among the semi-savages of the 

 New World : — 



" The natives entertained the old fanciful idea 

 which the earlier naturalists' did ; they supposed 

 the Pearls formed from petrified dew-drops, in con- 

 nexion with sunbeams. We can therefore well 

 credit the astonishment of Columbus and his mari- 

 ners when in the Gulf of Paria they first found 

 oysters clinging to the branches of trees, their shells 

 gaping open to receive the dew which was after- 

 wards to be transformed into Pearls." 



The oyster here alluded to is the Dendrostrea 

 or "Tree Oyster," a mollusc which is to be found 

 upon the roots or branches of mangrove trees 



