A WATER SPY-GLASS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16513, 25 August 1921, Page 2

A WATER SPY-GLASS.

The mother-of-pearl divers of the Bed Sea use a simple spy-glass for seeing the pearl-shells on the bottom of the sea. It consists of an empty fin, with a pane of glass fitted to its bottom. The box thus made is partly submerged bottom downward, and the diver looks through tile glass end at the seabottom. The device enables him to look through still water untroubled by the surface ripple. A similar device is also used to look at the “sea. gardens” of the coral reefs in the Bahamas and other West Indian islands,. It might be useful to collectors and others at home. In connection with the mother-of-pearl fisheries, those oi the Red Sea are carried on chiefly by black slaves, who take two-thirds of the profits, leaving one-third to the owner of the boat. The best shells are the Shama-i : the worst the Yeman, both found on the Arabiau coast. The shells, after being cleaned, are packed in barrels for export. Some go to Trieste, seme to Havre, and some to London. Other* go to Bethlehem, where they are carved and sold, to pilgrims.