River Pearls ; British and Foreign, 259 



image. He lived about the close of the fourteenth 

 century. The topography of Chih-kiang mentions a 

 Pearl sent to Court in 490 A.D., which resembled 

 Buddha, being three inches in size. The resem- 

 blance was probably fanciful, being but an irregular 

 form of Pearl, produced in the usual manner. Those 

 now made are but half-an-inch long, and while in 

 the shell have a bluish tint, which disappears with 

 its removal from the matrix." 



It will be observed that Dr. Macgowan, in the 

 above extract, refers the Chinese Pearl-mussel to 

 the Mytiliis Cygnus. Possibly more than one species 

 may be used ; the specimens of Buddha Pearls in 

 the British Museum are on shells described as 

 Dipsas plicata. 



The fresh-water Pearl-mussels of Japan have 

 been briefly referred to at p. 8i of this volume. 

 We shall be glad to learn more of the history of 

 Japanese Pearls, and to introduce the information 

 into a future edition of our work. 



