64 . ZOOLOGY. 
shaped ones have a proper form for ear-jewels, and are highly esteemed. 
Being composed of carbonate of lime and albumen, pearls are subject to be 
soiled by the acid in sweat. 
Artificial pearls, with a perfect lustre, are made by lining bubbles of very 
thin glass with the silvery material which lines the scales of freshwater fish, 
of the genus Leuciscus. This is introduced in suspension, in a liquid, and 
when dry, wax is introduced to give strength and solidity. 
Pearl jisherves are conducted at many places in various parts of the 
world, but the chief are in the east. Among the most important are 
those of the Persian Gulf, and the coasts of Coromandel, Ceylon, and — 
Japan. The Persian Gulf has been a favorite locality from a remote period. 
Panama and the coast of Columbia were good localities formerly. A round 
and perfect pearl, as large as a pigeon’s egg, belonging to Philip IL. of Spain, 
and worth $150,000, was taken at the Island of St. Margarita, on the north 
coast of South America; and Tavernier bought one from Catifa, in Arabia 
(an ancient locality), for ‘£110, 000. 
About $450,000 are annually produced by the fisheries at the Bahrein 
Islands in the Persian Gulf, which are fished in June and July. At Ceylon 
the fishing extends from February to the beginning of April, but the fishing 
days rarely exceed thirty, from many causes. There are various holidays 
kept by the members of different castes and religions among the divers. A 
black race from the coast of India profess the Catholic faith, and do not 
fish on Sunday; and other days are kept as holidays by the heterogeneous 
‘population. Storms also interfere with the fishing. 
The beds of pearl shells le at a depth of six or eight fathoms, and the 
fishing is done by divers who are able to remain under water from a 
minute to a minute and a half, or even longer. Indeed, the earlier writers 
upon the subject assert that a diver might remain submerged one fourth 
or half an hour, but this is an exaggeration. 
Pearls from freshwater mussels were sent from Perth to London between 
the years 1761 and 1764, to the amount of £10,000, but the fisheries were 
soon exhausted. A pearl weighing thirty-three grains was taken at this 
locality. The price of these pearls varied from ten to thirty-six shillings 
an ounce. | 
The pearl fisheries of Ceylon formerly employed 50,000 or 60,000 men at 
sea or on shore. Captain Percival, in his account of the island, describes the 
mode of proceeding. The shore, deserted at other times, presents during 
the fishing season a busy scene made up of people of various colors 
and countries ; fishers, merchants, brokers, jewellers, speculators in shells 
before they are opened, and conjurors who are well paid to perform incan- 
tations to prevent the sharks from attacking the divers. The chief locality 
is off the coast of Condatchy, twenty miles at sea. The right of fishing is 
sold every season by the government to the highest bidder for each of the 
localities into which the bank is divided, and the purchaser is generally a 
black merchant. Thesame spot is not allowed to be fished again for three 
or four years, and the shell is supposed to arrive at maturity in seven years. 
At the firing of a signal gun at ten o’clock at night, the fleet of boats 
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