2 1 8 Pearls. 



with a formidable weapon in the shape of a flat 

 projecting snout, reaching a length of perhaps six 

 feet, and armed along its edges with strong tooth- 

 like spines. In the presence of such a terrific weapon 

 the diver is, almost powerless, and instances are 

 recorded in which the poor fellows have been com- 

 pletely cut in two. Nor are the attacks of saw-fishes 

 and sharks the only sources of danger. " Diving is 

 considered very detrimental to health, and without 

 doubt it shortens the life of those who much practice 

 it. In order to aid the retention of breath, the diver 

 places a piece of elastic horn over his nostrils, which 

 binds them closely together. He does not enter 

 the boat each time he rises to the surface, ropes 

 being attached to the sides, to which he clings, until 

 he has obtained breath for another attempt." 



In 1853 these fisheries were described by 

 Colonel Wilson; and in 1865 an official report 

 on the Bahrein Pearl-fishery was prepared by 

 Colonel Pelly, the political resident at the Persian 

 Gulf According to this latter document the richest 

 banks for Pearl-fishing are those of the island of 

 Bahrein, where the oysters are found at all depths, 

 from a little below high-water mark down to eight- 

 teen fathoms. The Arabs, who monopolize the right 

 of fishing on all the banks along the Arabian coast 

 of the Persian Gulf, cling to the old belief that the 



