HOUSE-BOAT BUILDERS 133 
siderably in structure and habits from the 
mussel.” 
“ I was reading about them yesterday,” said 
Tommy. “And they surely are an interesting 
set! Why, just think of it! Giant clams of 
Japan have valves nearly two yards long and 
weigh over five hundred pounds. The Indians 
made their famous wampum from the beautiful 
purple shell of our best-known clam, the quahog, 
the young of which appear on elegant menus as 
‘ Little Necks.’ And then there’s the beautiful 
‘ bear’s paw ’ of the Indian Ocean, all mottled 
with gorgeous splotches of red and yel¬ 
low. . . . Oh, I could tell you yards about 
clams! ” 
“ Save them for the story hour,” advised Alice. 
“ I want to know more about the fresh water 
mussels. How long has fishing for pearls of this 
type been going on? ” 
“ I believe the first great mussel pearl was 
found in the State of New Jersey in 1857,” in¬ 
formed Uncle John. “ It was called the ‘ Queen 
Pearl ’ and was sold to the Empress Eugenia for 
$2,500. It is now worth about four times that 
sum. The mussels of the Mississippi River and 
its tributaries have yielded so many pearls that a 
fine trade in the pearls of fresh-water mussels has 
sprung up. I think you can find considerable 
about this in the encyclopedia. Your father once 
