Breeding Pearls. 6g 



occupied the attention of the Royal Asiatic Society 

 at Singapore, and was introduced to their notice 

 in a paper read by Dr. N. B. Dennys. 



In the Malay Archipelago, and especially on the 

 coast of Borneo, the natives allege that " Breeding 

 Pearls " exist, that is to say, there are Pearls which 

 possess the power of reproduction or rather ger- 

 mination. It is asserted that if a few of these 

 Pearls be placed in a small box with some grains 

 of rice and a little cotton wool, and then sealed 

 up, on opening it a few months afterwards, one or 

 more additional Pearls are found within, and the 

 original ones none the worse, but the grains of rice 

 have their ends apparently nibbled off. Many native 

 women claim to possess these Pearls, and set great 

 store by them, though they never exceed the size 

 of a pin's head, and are not worth, at most, more 

 than sixpence each. 



Credible European evidence was adduced ; pros 

 and cons were strenuously maintained in the dis- 

 cussion that followed the reading of Dr. Dennys' 

 paper. But, as i^ual, neither side convinced the 

 other ; and spontaneous creation in the matter of 

 Pearls still owns its supporters. For our own part, 

 we cannot conceive it possible that one Pearl can 

 be developed from another de novo] however much 



