NARRATIVE. 



73 



reason to think that the paar ever extended further south ; but the soundings along 

 the shoal (see fig. 19), taken along with the evidences of coast erosion that we found 

 at Kodramallai Point and along the shores of the Bight of Kondatcbi (see fig. 20, 

 showing an old cannon near the Doric, at Aripu, nearly toppled over through the 



Fig. 20. Captain J. Donnan, late Inspector, and Captain J. Legge, present Inspector of the Pearl 

 Banks, on an old cannon near the ruins of the Doric : to show the erosion of the coast in the 

 bight of Kondatcbi from a photograph taken February, 1902. 



washing away of the land by the sea), render it highly probable that Karativo in 

 former times extended northwards along the line of the shoal ; and so, possibly, the 

 tradition of Queen Alliyarasani is a record of the time when Karativo reached the 

 Cheval Paar. 



On March 9th we dredged about the southern part of the Periya Paar. The first 

 haul was taken across the paar, and immense quantities of small oysters (about 

 G months old) and a bucketful of large ones (3 years old) were obtained. 



The remaining three hauls (Station LV.) were outside the paar, and to the south, 

 and extended westwards to " out of soundings." 



STATION LV. To the west and south-west of southern end of Periya Paar ; depth 

 11 to 24 fathoms ; bottom sand, Nullipores and dead Corals ; dredged. 



Codium bursarium, Bryopsis; 



Orbitolites complanatus, Heterostegina depressa, &c. ; 



Axinella tubulata, Suberites inconstans, var. digitata; 



Some Corals, Antipatharia, Juncella juncea ; 



Nemertine, Physcosoma agassizii, Clceia ceylonica ; 



Toxopneustes pileolus, Cidaris metularia, Echinolampas oviformis, Lovenia elongata, 

 Maretia plamdata, Schizaster sp. ; Stichopms variegatus ; 



Balanus sp., various Macrura, Lambrus sp., and other Crabs ; 



L 



