28 CEYLON PEARL OYSTER REPORT. 



Mar., 1904. Oysters plentiful ; apparently the majority are not more than 2 to 

 2| years old. These represent the young spat which was noted as abundant 

 in November, 1902 ; their growth has been at the expense of the older ones 

 that were present in 1902, and which have been smothered or killed out 

 by the competition of the more vigorous and numerous young. 



VII. KAEATIVO PAAR. 



A short account of the characters of this paar will be found at p. 113 in Part I. 

 Its fishery record is as follows : 



Nov., 1829. Oysters 5 years old. 



Mar., 1832. Fishery (yielded 45,810 rupees). 



1863. Found nothing. 

 Mar., 1864. A few oysters 12 months old ; do not look healthy. 

 1867. Only a few scattered oysters. 



1868. To the south-west, weed covered with young oysters. 

 1870. Patches of weed covered with young oysters. 

 1871. No oysters. 

 1875. 

 1882. 

 1883. 



1886. 4,000,000 oysters, 18 months old, on the fishing ground of 1832; 

 1,500,000, 3 years old, thinly spread, and 8 per cent. dead. 

 May, 1887. Oysters apparently all gone from fishing ground ot 1832; young 



oysters present, not enough for fishing. 

 Nov., 1889.-3,000,000 of the oysters found in 1886 ; small fishery held at once. 

 Mar., 1890. Some fished with fishery at Muttuvaratu. 

 Nov., 1890. Most of the oysters had died out. 



Mar., 1891. Remaining oysters (200,243) fished with fishery at Muttuvaratu. 

 1893. No oysters. 

 1899. 

 Mar., 1900. Bare of oysters. 



,, 1901. " A fairly large bed of oysters (234 acres) of from 6 to 12 months 

 old" number estimated* 30,000,000. 

 April, 1902. 25,330,000 oysters, from 1^ to 2 years old, occupied a bank having 



an estimated area of 1,570,850 square yards (= 324 acres). 

 Nov., 1902. Not inspected. 



Mar., 1903. Mr. Hornell's inspection by means of diving apparatus showed that 

 the oysters present in April, 1902, had practically all disappeared. 

 ,, 1904. Old oysters all gone. Some younger (2 years old) have appeared. 



* But little importance can be attached to numerical estimates of oysters at this age, and Mr. Horneli. 

 advises that such estimates should not be made use of except in the case of banks of mature oysters. 



