THE PEARL FISHERY OF 1904. 



21 



remaining sections, including also the Dutch Modragam, indicating more vigorous 

 growth and a better food supply. Indeed, many of the oysters have a superficial 

 appearance of being from 3 to 3j years old. The general superiority of these oysters 

 is well brought out in the following tabulation of the average size of representative 

 oysters from each of the localities named : 



" There are few oysters of an age less than 2 years mixed with these an 

 important favourable factor, as the fall of abundant spat upon a bed of oysters 

 approaching maturity is one of the most serious dangers that beset the fruition of 

 an oyster bed, and one that is most difficult to combat." 



SlMMARY OF THE PAST HlSTORY OF THE OYSTERS FOUND. 



The oysters fished this year were first seen in March, 1900, by Captain Donnan, 

 who reported that over the whole of the Western Cheval, an area nearly 5% miles 

 long by 1000 to 4000 yards wide, young oysters 3 to 9 months old were thickly 

 spread. The area actually covered was estimated at 5800 acres. During the 

 1 2 months following a great decrease took place in the number of oysters present and 

 in the acreage covered, the Inspector reporting that the solid phalanx of 1900 had 

 been broken up into three detached beds totalling only some 1685 acres bearing- 

 80,000,000 of oysters. 



A year later (February and March, 1902), during our visit to the banks in the 

 " Lady Havelock " and with Captain Donnan in the " Rangasami Puravi," we saw 

 these oysters and noted the marked inferiority of their size to that of oysters of 

 similar age upon the Eastern Cheval. Captain Donnan's estimate of their numbers 

 was 123,357,000 oysters, spread over an area of 2170 acres. At the same time it was 

 noticed as a disquieting feature that the fresh fall of spat so generally distributed 

 over the banks had invaded the Western Cheval a large proportion of the older 

 generation bearing each several young attached to the valves. These young oysters, 



