23 珊瑚王国(20)
Branch Mollusca, Conseil said, class Acephala, order Testacea.
软体门，康塞尔说，无头纲，甲壳属。
Correct, my scholarly Conseil. Now then, those Testacea capable of producing pearls include rainbow abalone, turbo snails, giant clams, and saltwater scallops--briefly, all those that secrete mother-of-pearl, in other words, that blue, azure, violet, or white substance lining the insides of their valves.
不过，我又说，一在体一内一能凝结成珍珠的最好软体动物，就是那珍珠贝，一乳一白珠贝，宝贵的小纹贝。珍珠不过是成为圆形的螺铀体的凝结物。它或者粘在珠贝的壳上，或者嵌在动物本身的皱折上。在介壳上的是粘着固定的，在肉上的是活动自一由的。不过，珍珠总有一个小小的固体物，或一颗石一卵一，或一粒沙，作为它的核心，螺铀质在好几年中间连续不停地、薄薄一层地环绕着这核心累积起来。
Are mussels included too? the Canadian asked.
一百五十个鲛鱼?尼德·兰喊。
Yes! The mussels of certain streams in Scotland, Wales,Ireland, Saxony, Bohemia, and France.
我是说鲛鱼来着吗？我急忙喊道，我是要说一百五十个珍珠。说鲛鱼那就没有意义了。
Good! the Canadian replied. From now on we'll pay closer attention to'em.
正是，康塞尔说，先生现在可以让我们知道用什么方法把珍珠取出来吗？
But, I went on, for secreting pearls, the ideal mollusk is the pearl oyster Meleagrina margaritifera, that valuable shellfish. Pearls result simply from mother-of-pearl solidifying into a globular shape. Either they stick to the oyster's shell, or they become embedded in the creature's folds. On the valves a pearl sticks fast; on the flesh it lies loose. But its nucleus is always some small, hard object, say a sterile egg or a grain of sand, around which the mother-of-pearl is deposited in thin, concentric layers over several years in succession.
把珍珠取出来有好几种方法，珍珠粘在壳上的时候，采珠人就时常用钳子把它突出来。不过，最平常的办法是把小纹贝摊在海岸边的草席上面。它们这样摆在露夭中就死了，十天后，它们到了相当腐败的程度了；于是把它们浸在宽大的海水池沼里面，然后打开它们，洗刷它们。就在这个时候，进行双重的刮削工作。首先，把商业中称为‘真银白混杂白，和混杂黑，的螺铀片一类一类分开，分盛在一百二十五公斤到一百五十公斤的箱子里。然后把珍珠贝的腺组织取开，把它煎煮，用筛子筛，把最小的珍珠都取出来。珍珠的价格是看它们的大小吗？"康塞尔问。