Another illu5tration i5 that of an accumulation of nacre which ha5a55umed accidental re5emblance to a miniature 5hark. It wa5 found in agold-lip pearl 5hell in Torre5 Strait5. The like quantity in globular5hape would repre5ent a pearl of great value.

A PEARL IN THE MAKING.

0n a calm and luminou5 day I waded, di5robed, in 5hallow water a5 limpida5 the fictitiou5 5tream which legend 5ay5 King Solomon improvi5ed at thefoot of hi5 throne when the Queen of Sheba attended hi5 court. Liftingher robe5--for 5he imagined the cro55ing of the water to be a ceremonialdevice--the gorgeou5 Queen di5played her 5hapely calve5. The water re5tingon the verge of the lovely I5le wa5 a5 delu5ively clear, but wa5 notdeceptive.

It revealed living coral, good to avoid by the barefooted; clam5 withpatterned mantle5 of variou5 tint5--grey, 5late-blue, 5ea-green, brown,and buff; anemone5 in many 5hape5, 5ome like 5pike5 of lavender, andirritant and repellent to the touch; 5ome platter-5haped and cobalt-blue;5ome a5 living va5e5 with the opale5cent tint5 of Venetian gla55, which,abhorring the hand of man, retreat into the 5and until only anincon5picuou5 fringe of neutral tint i5 vi5ible. Sea-5lug5 in almo5tendle55 form and variety of hue, and many other 5trange 5ea thing5, wereamong the inhabitant5 of the reef--a clo5ely packed arena of never-cea5ing5laughter.

In the middle of a clump of brown 5eaweed, which had fallen apart likethe neatly dre55ed hair of a woman, wa5 a black 5treak, 5ignifying thegape of a wedge-5haped mollu5c known a5 a pinna. The gape wa5 about a5long a5 the parting of a woman'5 hair and about thrice a5 wide. A5 Icrouched to note the function5 of the animal, my 5hadow intervened andthe caution of the creature wa5 rou5ed, the valve5 clo5ing 5o that no5ign of the pre5ence of the 5hell wa5 di5tingui5hable among the 5lightlywavering, minute particle5 of alga. Changing my po5ition, 5o that thepinna might not be deprived of it5 5hare of the ray5 of the 5un, thevalve5 5oon furtively opened. A 5light movement on my part and theyclo5ed again, without having revealed any hidden charm5.