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THE PEARL
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coast
of German East Africa at Zanzibar Island and south, between the Island
of Mafia and the main coast. Mother-of-pearl is abundant but few pearls
have been found and there has been no sustained effort. There are large
coral banks about the islands of the coast favorable for the growth of
mother-of-pearl and there is shallow water over large areas.
Good
white pearls have been taken from a red mussel found there. South of
the Island of Mafia are beds of large pinna shells which yield black
seed-pearls. There are pearl-shell fisheries in the Merguian
Archipelago and in the government of Burmah and some pearls are found.
The banks, scattered over an area of eleven thousand square miles, are
rented from the government and rights to fish are sublet on royalty.
The fishing is nearly all done by helmeted divers.
Avicula
and meleagrina margaritifera are taken off the west coast of New
Caledonia. From the former large numbers of pearls are taken, and from
the latter, very beautiful white pearls. Fine colored pearls pink,
yellow, gray and black are often found in this district. A
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