AMBER: WINNING ON THE PRUSSIAN COAST 541 



action of the sea was subsequently entirely removed, the only trace of itg existence being 

 the presence of a few surface pittings on portions protected from the action of the waves. 

 Being exposed to all the disintegrating forces of littoral ivaters, masses of amber containing 

 incipient cracks and fissures would be very unlikely to escape fracture, and foi- this reason 

 sea-amber is usually free from such flaws. 



The collection of sea-amber is an easy matter, for it is simply picked up on the flat 

 sea-beaches. During land\\ard wind-storms large quantities of amber are loosened from the 

 floor of the sea and thrown up upon the beach, often entangled with masses of sea- weed. 

 This is sorted over, and the larger pieces of amber are collected, but the smaller fragments, 

 which do not repay the trouble of collecting, are left, and often accumulate at spots high up 

 on the shore. Besides collecting the masses of amber thrown up on the shore the searchers 

 also wade as far as possible into the sea, and by means of long-handled nets drag ashore the 

 floating masses of sea-weed in order to secure the amber entangled in it. The amber thus 

 drawn from the sea is known as drawn-amber (German, Schopfstein), \\hile that which is 

 thrown up upon the beach is referred to as strand- amber. 



Amber is collected in these wars all along the coast of Samland, but specially on the 

 west coast, north of Pillau ; also along the whole of the east coast of the Russian Baltic 

 Provinces, Livonia and Courland ; through East and West Prussia; in Pomerania and 

 Mecklenburg; and along the whole coast of the Jutland peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein 

 and Jutland ; at some places in greater, at others in smaller amounts. After Samland, the 

 Jutland peninsula with Schleswig-Holstein is the most important locality for amber. It 

 occurs in greater abundance on the west coast, which is washed by the North Sea, than on 

 the east. Stavning peninsula and Fano Island are stated to be specially rich localities. 

 The substance appears to be less abundant on the North Friesian Islands, Ramo, Sylt, Fiihr, 

 &c., but to be very i^lentiful on the shore of the Eiderstedt peninsula, where at ebb-tide 

 large quantities of amber are exposed on the fore-shore and collected. The richest locality 

 in this neighbourhood is the Hitzbank, a sand-bank which extends from the last-named 

 peninsula far out to sea. The amber-seekers are therefore known here as the Hitz runners. 

 The mouth of the Eider is another prolific spot, but amber is collected along a strip of 

 coast stretching as far south as Biisum, although the yield is small in South Dithmarschen, 

 at the mouth of the Elbe, and on the coasts of Hanover, Oldenburg, and Holland. The 

 search for amber on the fore-shore is attended with great danger owing to the risk of being 

 caught by the returning tide. In North Dithmarschen the seekers, who are known as 

 amber-riders, follow the outflowing tide, often on horses and after collecting as much amber 

 as possible hurry back to the shore as soon as the tide turns. Amber is also often collected 

 from boats in this district. It is said that the yield here has considerably fallen off". 



The islands on the coast of Holland and East and North Friesland were referred to by 

 Pliny as " insuhe glessaridse,''' that is to say the amber islands, and they have been called also 

 the Electrides. Later on the much richer district of Samland became known to the 

 Romans, who, at the beginning of the time of the Prankish emperors had entered into 

 commercial relations with East Prussia for the supply of the highly esteemed amber, most 

 of the material so supplied being probably strand-amber, with perhaps a little drawn- 

 amber. 



Other methods are now adopted in Prussia for the obtaining of sea-amber besides the 

 primitive ones already described, the material being collected from the floor of the sea by 

 the help of appliances of various kinds. 



The amber lying at the bottom of shallow waters is scooped and raked up by persons 

 in boats, with the aid of small hoop-nets provided with long handles. The boulders which 



