Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-06-19
"TRIP TO THE Orient
Clarence e. Edwords Touring the
Eastern Countries.
HF IS OUR SpE GA CORRESPONDENT.
INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN IN WEEK
LY LETTERS, WHICH WILL Ap.
PEAR IN The RECORDER.

PhlllpplneS arc i"ii
abundance and variety OF land
shells. which are, with few excep-
tons, formed by snails. They are
most varied in form, size and color,
and many of them are extremely
beautiful. There are number OF
species of edible oyster and clans,
which are eaten by the natives, and
sometimes by the Europeans who
come here, but none of them COM
pare with the oysters and clans OF
| America. The shells of one spe-
cies, cut into thin plates of squares
of two inches on side, are used in
place of glass for windows. They
are translucent, and are set IN slid
ing wooden frames, producing
much the same effect as ground
glass.
Shells OF the enormous giant
clam sometimes attain the length
of from FIVE to six feet, and weigh
hundreds of pounds. The valves
are frequently used for baptismal
fonts, and the natives use them for
utensils of many kinds, in addition
to burning them for lime. Divers
are much afraid of them, and with
reason, for they shut with a wise
like grip, and when one gets MS
hand inside one of these shells IN
deep water he is held until he IS
| drowned. Numerous accidents OF
this kind are reported at various
places along this coast.
True pearl oysters are found in
many places along the southern
coast of Midanao, and in the Sulu
archipelago. They are especially
| fine and abundant in the latter re-
gion, and many valuable pearls are
found there. There are no more
expert divers in the world than the
Moros, who train themselves to re-
main under water two minutes and
sometimes longer. The wonderful
pearly nautilus, or as it is more
generally known, the chambered
nautilus; is so common that Its
shell is used by natives as drinking
lcups.
Shrimps, crabs and HOLSTERS
, abound in the waters of the archl'
), pelago, and form an important
part of the food supply of the ma
!, tives who live along the coast. One
r of the strange crabs found here Il
: the giant or spider crab, the sprea(
4 of the claws sometimes reaching nj
teen feet. The tree crab, which 1
! q land crab, living off the cocoa
nut. is found on some CT the is
: land. This is large hairy crab
which eli nbs the cocoannt tree am
: detatchts the nut. The crab the
breaks the shells by dashing then
on rocks, and feeds on the meat.
: 1t is strange that with all thl
!. wonderful form of marine life, tina
:. the fish market of Manila is no
ne If so interesting as in Honolnlu
I This is accounted for in part fror
y the fact that the fish do not kee
!, in this climate and they have to b
0 eaten shortly after being take
from the water or they spoil. L
: Honolulu, the climate does not de
= teriorate the fish so quickly, an
the market is constant source c
Z pleasure. Here the fish are carrie
Is about by the natives and China
men in baskets and disposed {
y from house to house.
= Owners of fish corrals make
+ steady income, and in return 10
e the privilege they have to pay
( tax to the village nearest to tn
IS fishing ground which they occupy
IS With the great plenty of fish fo
5 propagation have been taken, bu
3 some of the natives have hit upo
3 the plan of catching small fish c
! species which grow rapidly, placin
: them in closed ponds and feedln
y them until they become OF market
able size. These fish are sold allV
5 and afford fish at any time.
4 The tree oyster is found in man
places in lagoons. These oyster
attach themselves to the limbs
s,..x,z,z-.-==z=z s+..=.=..-s~-=----------
Mrs. S. Joyce, Claremont, N. II