180 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
out of this a portion of the animal protrudes, 
but at the least disturbance withdraws, and the 
shell closes so tight it can not be opened with¬ 
out being cut at both ends. When open, the 
pearl if any, is at once seen in the small end, 
imbedded in the “ flap.” 
The instruments necessary for “ pearl-hunt¬ 
ing” as it is commonly called, are an iron rod 
(fig. 2) flattened at one end, with barbs cut in it 
Fig. 1. — PEARL-BEARING UN10. 
to draw out the clams, a handled basket to car¬ 
ry them in, a stout knife to open the shells, and 
a box of line cotton in which to put the pearls. 
Happy is the lucky fisherman who does not re¬ 
turn home after days of toil, with this box as 
void of pearls as when lie started. In the Win¬ 
ooski, tlje water is so dark that an umbrella js 
of service, especially in deep water and when 
the sun shines. 
Sometimes the fisherman wears high rubber 
boots, oftener he wades into the river with bare 
feet and his breeches rolled high, with his basket 
on arm and spear in hand. He thrusts his 
spear into any open shell he may see on the 
bottom, which immediately closes, when he pulls 
it out, puts it in his basket, and looks for another. 
When satisfied with the number he has got, he 
carries them to the bank, where he sits down 
and opens them. The experienced 
hunter can usually tell before opening if 
there is a pearl inside, as only the de¬ 
formed shells contain one. Often thou¬ 
sands of shells are opened and the in¬ 
mates destroyed without obtaining a single pearl 
of value. Sometimes brownish ones, lustreless, 
and of no value are found. The white and 
rose-colored ones alone have the beautiful light 
and desirable lustre. 
Probably more depends upon luck than skill. 
C. II. Stevens, Esq., of East Montpelier,who gave 
me much of the above information, is one of the 
most successful pearl-fishers of that region, and 
the one who somo years ago found the largest 
pearl that has been discovered in the United 
States. He says: “ The large pearl I found 
was in two feet of water where it ran swift. It 
was in the first shell I took out, and I could see 
the place close to it where some one else had 
taken out another. The pearl is 6 / e of an inch 
in diameter, round as a ball, and of fine lustre. 
It is now owned by a gentleman in New York, 
who values it among the thousands. It was 
nearly in the middle of the clam by the hinge, 
the only one I ever heard of being found there.” 
For successful hunting a still day is necessary, 
as a small ripple on deep water will hide the 
clams. In shallow water it is not so important. 
Upon such a day, during a “ pearl-fever,” it is 
not uncommon 1o see numbers of men and boys, 
and sometimes women, standing in theWinooski 
gathering the clams, or seated on the bank open¬ 
ing them, In warm weather sometimes, such 
numbers of clams are destroyed the air is 
tainted with their decay for a long distance, 
Fig. 2. —PEAHL-nUNTBRS’ SPEAK. 
