AMBERBRIS.

Shannon News, 8 April 1924, Page 4

AMBERBRIS.

THE BEACH LOUNGER’S DREAM. WEST- COAST ‘ TREASURE TROVE.

SOME QUEER MISTAKES

‘‘Ambergris is a magic word; all sorts of people hunt tno beaches for it, and many a poor chap, Who has come aiding' with what he fondly imagines to be a fortune in his arms, has seen his dreams of wealth fade away as soon as I got my eye on the stuff,” said Mr, Walter H. Mason, to an Auckland “Stari” reporter. “They bring along all sorts of offensive -smelling things, the stronger the smell the more virtue the stuff to have in the eyes of some of these fortune-hunters. Of course the average person has not the faintest idea of what ambergris is like so I always tell people to brffig along anything they think may be the real thing. Airibergris itself is one of those musical’Words that strike the oar pleas-

ingly like “Mesopotamia” did that of the old lady, arid probably not a single person of any imagination at all has wandered• along the sea-beach without -picturing to himself' the pleasure of picking up a piece of the precious stuff —and buying-all sorts of treasure with the proceeds. DREW" A BLANK.

A few days ago a man wandering along ,'Piha Beach found on the wet saiid-» -juStl after h/gh-tidi a lump ofi greyish foreign matter that gave off an odour sbrriethin’g between phosphates and a IoW grade’ guano. “Ambergris!” said one of ! the ‘ party;, and it really sceiried that the dreaffi'diC half a* life time had come true'. Carefully packed up tlie find Was brought to town arid submitted to Mr Mason (whriso ’family- have for neaiiy half a century been among, the few experts in ambergris in this* part of the Dominion) and as soon'as he got a sniff of the “treasure,” all the castles in Spam that had been built on its prospective price came tumbling down. The denouement to this tragedy was quick. Not so one that happened at Napier. A considerable ‘lump was found on the beach, carefully locked up in the bank safe among-the gold and other precious things pending the report upon a sample that had been sent to a London expert. In the meantime the finder had,'; as a great favour, allowed a particular friend to have an ounce of it for £5. After weeks and weeks of waiting, out came the London report, and all it said was “the substance submitted is a very poor sample of low-grade tallow in an advanced stage of decomposition,”

CYCLES AND DOGS. As a matter of fact several finds of the real, article have been made on Piha beach, but nearly all that comes into Auckland is found on xe so-called “Ninety Mile Beach,” which runs from Ahipara right up to Cape, Maria van Diemeni, and is more like sixty than ninety miles long, A little comes from Taranaki. Oddly enough, practically none comes from the East Coast, which is rather peculiar seeing that whales frequent that, side to such an extent that there is a shore whaling station at Whangamumu, just below the Bay of Islands. Mr. Mason thinks the fact that the finds are commonly made on the West Coast must be due to the set of the currents. As mentioned, the ambeygris is generally fourid on the beach just about high water mark, and the search is particularly keen after a storm or a blow from the westward. Upon the Ahipara beach there is a man that uses a motor cycle. He lives at Houhora, about half way along the beach, and after high water, he scoots along

the shining wet sands, which are several times as broad as Queen Street, and quite as hard. Mr Mason says that some of the searchers have trained dogs to track the ambergris which has a' distinctive smell of its .own. The searcher that has a good dog can ride along the beach .at ease on horseback and leave the work to the dog. Whenever the dog stops to sniff at something the rider gets off and makes an investigation. This reminds one af the custom in certain parts' of France where the* peasants have dogs trained tio find truffles under the ground. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

To the uninitiated ambergris might easily be mistaken for a piece of stone. Most Of it ! has a black skin, but there are various shades of black and grey, and there is still another kind, the fossilised, of a much whiter tinge than the grey. Some of it has a marbled appearance. In consistence it is a sort of cross between pitch, ancient putty, and indurate clav.

There are many grades of both black and grey ambergns— darK, light, silver, and very occasionally a green gi.ey._ i.nd there is also a brown. Many people have exaggerated ideas of. the value of ambergris. Some of it is worth only a few shillings, but the best grade (which is seldom found) runs up to £5 an ounce in London.

Asked what uses the ambergris was put to Mr Mason explained that very little of it was Employed in this country. His family formerly used a certain amount in the making of perfumes. Today practically all the ambergris found in New Zealand went to London, but eventually found its way over to France, where it is used in the manufacture of high grade perfumes, and also in the wine industry. Its virtue was in effect as a blender

when more than one kind of essence was used in a perfume or where wines were mixed. It was also of great value as a “fixer.” In both perfumes and wines it fixed what was called “the bouquet.” FROM SWEET TO THE REVERSE. Ambergris has an odour that is rather hard to define. “Musky” is perhaps the best word. There is. something about it that suggests a sea beach; something like sea-weed. The highest grades have rather a pleasing odour, but the law grades are too reminiscent of a guano works to be pleasant. Ambergris, besides being picked up oni the sea beach has been found in the intestine of the sperm whale, and is probably a biliary secretion, but about this there is some doubt. When washed up on the beach it is found in pieces from the size of a walnut to a, fair sized lump. Mr Mason says the biggest, piece he ever met with .weighed nine But that was a land that comes once in a lifetime and should you pick up a piece of really - high grade stuff no bigger than your hand next time you spend your holiday out on the West Coast, you will have enough money to pay for you ; r outing and leave a little over- providing, of course, it is high grade and not the sort of thing that has often been mistaken for the "real Mackay.” !