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PEARLS FROM ASIA 141
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the
shells, which afford good qualities of mother-of-pearl, the pearls
furnishing an additional but always looked-for profit to the regular
source of income. As in other regions, there is no constant relation
between the value of the pearls and the quantity of mollusks taken. The
oysters of some reefs are comparatively rich in certain years; while in
other seasons or on other reefs the mollusks may be numerous but yield
very few pearls.
The
second species of importance in the Red Sea is similar to the Lingah
oyster and is known to the Arabs as "bulbul." This is much smaller than
the "sadof," averaging less than three inches in diameter. It is
collected for the pearls exclusively, the shells being too small for industrial use; but only 3 or 4 per cent, of the individuals yield pearls.
It
is claimed by writers of authority that it is the red Pinna pearl from
this sea that is referred to in the Scriptures under the name peninim as the most precious product, and which has been translated as rubies.1
The shell is extremely fragile, and the nacreous interior is white
tinged with a beautiful red. It is of little importance in the
commercial fisheries of the Red Sea at the present time.
The
"sadof" is more scattered and less numerous than the "bulbul" ; and in
order to save much useless diving, it is customary to inspect the
bottom before descending. Therefore, operations are largely restricted
to calm weather, when the water is sufficiently clear to enable the
divers to sight the individual oysters on the bottom. In recent years,
water-telescopes have been used to assist in locating them. The most
popular form consists of a tin can with a sheet of glass inserted in
the bottom. The glazed end of the tin is submerged several inches below
the surface, affording a far-reaching and much clearer vision. In this
fishery the divers work from small canoes (uri), each manned by
two men, one of whom rows while the other leans over the bow and
searches for the oysters. When one is sighted, he dives into the water
for it, and then returns to the boat to resume the search.
The
pearling season begins commonly in March or April, and continues until
about the end of May; it is renewed in the autumn, continuing through
September and October.2 The vessels employed are of two varieties : dhows carrying from twenty to eighty men each, and the much smaller sambuks or
sail-boats without decks, each with from six to twenty-five men, most
of whom are Negro slaves. Many of the large vessels are from the
Persian Gulf. The sambuks are owned principally by Zobeid
Bedouins inhabiting the coast between Jiddah and Yambo, and also the
islands near the southern end of the
*See Proverbs xxxi, i. 'Hesse, "Der Zoologische Garten," Dec. 1,1898.
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