20 CEYLON PEARL OYSTER REPORT. 



practically no chance of these young oysters coming to maturity where they are. If 

 these are transplanted to the Cheval banks at the earliest opportunity and in sufficient 

 quantities for such work to be successful must be done on a large scale they ought 

 to be in their fourth year by March, 1907, and would probably yield fisheries then 

 and in 1908. Our aim should be to have a constant succession of broods maturing on 

 the Cheval, so as to give a continuous series of fisheries, and if sufficient spat does 

 not fall naturally, these broods must be brought from elsewhere. 



II. MODRAGAM PAARS (NORTH AND SOUTH). 



Fig. 3, on p. 14, shows the close relation between the two little Modragam paars 

 and the great Cheval region. An account of the leading physical and biological 

 characters will be found in Part I., p. 105. The fishery record is as follows : 



1804. Fished along with the Cheval Paar. 

 Oct., 1804. Oysters 5 years old on a bank of small extent. 



Mar., 1805. Small bed of oysters 6 years old. Sample of 1987 oysters lifted. To 

 the south of the bank was found a patch of " Kottapakku " oysters, 

 3 to 4 years old, and another patch of same age and kind to the north-east. 

 Also a patch of Cheval oysters, 3 to 4 years old. 

 1806. Fished along with the Cheval Paar. 

 1808. ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 



louy. ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 



Nov., 1811. Only a few oysters. 

 Mar., 1813. Very few young oysters. 



1814. Fished along with the Cheval Paar. 



lolO. ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 



,, 1820. Oysters 7 years old. Fished along with the Cheval Paar. 

 ,, 1820. " Great quantity of large oysters." 

 ,, 1827. " Plenty old oysters in 5 fathoms." 

 1828. South-east Modragam fished (yielded 305,234 rupees). 

 1836. Fished (6,000,000 oysters yielded 58,624 rupees). 

 ,, 1856. Oysters in great abundance on west of Modragam, 1 to 8 years old. 

 Nov., 1856. Great abundance of oysters, mostly 4 years old. 

 Mar., 1857. Oysters in abundance in large clusters, 3 to 5 years old. 

 Nov., 1858. Sample of 12,000 lifted. 



Mar., 1859. North paar fished ; oysters probably 4 to 4^ years old (over 6,000,000 

 yielded 287,678 rupees). 

 ,, 1860. Remainder on north, 5 years old (800,000 oysters yielded 87,269 

 rupees), and younger ones, 4 years old, on south fished (nearly 3,000,000 

 oysters yielded 279,547 rupees). 



