DESCRIPTION OF THE PEARL-OYSTER BANKS OF THE GULF OF MANAAR. 103 



sipkonia, Corallina; and a Cauleipa straggles through the sand. Amongst the 

 commoner animals were hemispherical Astrseid Corals, a small Fitngia (F. dent"!", 



Fig. 29. Pearl-oysters from East Chev.il Paar showing growing edges. 



young, see fig. 30), a few Holothurians (//. atra), and the red Pentaceros and very 

 many young Aplysia. But the most characteristic animal of this part of the Cheval 

 Paar is the large Hydroid Zoophyte Campanularia ju?icea, which comes up in great 

 hunches not unlike cut " heather," the name by which it has been sometimes indicated 

 in the Inspectors' reports. The sand is largely composed of shell fragments, Nullipores 



Fig. 30. Fungia dentata, living and expanded specimens from the East Cheval Paar, natural size. 



From a photograph by J. HoRNEt.i,. 



and Foraminifera. Other animals found here were Spongionella nigra, fjiiu-ki". sp.. 

 orange Gorgonids, and species of Haliotis, Area, Cardium, and Turbinella. 



At the south-east corner of the Cheval we found that out of 307 dives I I brought 

 up adult oysters (7 from rock and 4 from sand), 2 IG brought up young oysters, (it 

 were on bare sand and 16 on rock without oysters. 



About the middle of the East Cheval there are rocky patches of (puutzose 

 gritstone, which are too rugged to he fished by dredging, and yet are crowded with 

 oysters. The few such areas on the pearl-banks might be cleared by divers, or if left 

 unfished would no doubt form valuable breeding reserves. 



