recognized. This idea too is immortalized in those familiar lines of Shakespeare—
" Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."
That
this superstition had its origin in India there can be little doubt,
though in later times the right of the Pearl to this place of honor has
been called in question, and the rival claims of Amber, and other
precious substances, have each found their respective supporters.
It is worth noting that in the Malay Archipelago certain Pearls are said to be found in Cocoa-nuts. They
are of a light yellow colour, generally of the size of a small marble,
and it is difficult to distinguish them from ivory, or from the yellow
porcellanous Pearls that are produced probably by some uni-valve
mollusc, and often seen in the East.
These
Pearls, reputed to have had their birth in cocoa-nuts, are frequently
offered for sale by the natives ; and Europeans are occasionally
tempted to purchase them at high prices.
According
to Chinese tradition, the origin of certain Pearls may be referred to
animals which would hardly be classed by zoologists as true
Pearl-producers.
By far the most ancient work that is known,
