106 CEYLON PEARL OYSTER REPORT. 



examined the numbers were 10, 8, 21 and 11 respectively. A characteristic feature 

 is the number of barnacles and small rock oysters incrusting the valves. 



Caulerpa (? C. scalpelliformis) is common here, growing in the sand along with the 

 Phanerogam, Halophila ovata, of similar habit. 



Amongst the animals noticed were : Clypeaster humilis, Salmacis bicolor, Luidea 

 maculata and Pentaceros hncki. 



Captain Donnan reported that the pearl oysters on this paar were " in great 

 abundance in large clusters" in 1856 and again in 1857. These were fished in 1859 

 and in 1860. The paar yielded a small fishery in 1877 and a larger one in 1887, and 

 again in 1888, when both Modragams were fished along with the whole of the Cheval 

 Paar. The oysters on this paar are well grown, but seem limited in number for want 

 of a hard bottom for attachment. The benefit of " culching " such a locality as this 

 must be obvious. 



Modragam Paar, South. 



This lies 1 mile south-south-east of the North Modragam, and is about |- to f mile 

 in diameter. It is about 7 miles north-north-west of Kodramallai Point, and has a 

 depth of 5^ to 6 fathoms. The bottom is rocky but very level, and appears to be 

 covered in its entire extent with a thin layer of sand, in which there are many broken 

 shell fragments, especially pearl oysters, Cardii.ua and Pectunculus. There are some 

 Alga?, but when we examined the paar, very few pearl oysters. 



Amongst the characteristic animals are : the sponges Axinella donnanl and 

 Spongionella nigra, and many Astrseid corals small hemispherical colonies projecting 

 through the sand and apparently attached to underlying rock. 



This paar, along with the North Modragam, has usually been fished at the same 

 time as the Cheval, but it apparently yielded important fisheries alone in 1828 and 

 in 1860. 



Kondatchi Paar. 



This lies closer in-shore than the Cheval Paar, and about 1 mile due east of its 

 southern end. It is about 1 mile in diameter, 7 miles off-shore, and has depths ot 

 4 to 5 fathoms. 



The greater part of the area is sand. Out of 171 dives 14 only were on rock, 

 157 on sand. There are occasional little patches of partly buried rock jjrojecting from 

 the smooth sandy surface. This paar is recorded to have only once yielded a fishery 

 that of 1801. There are now only a few pearl oysters, of mixed sizes, along 

 with Pinna bicolor, Luidea maculata, and several kinds of Pentaceros one very 

 common species (?) is nearly black in colour, with red tops to the rounded tubercles, 

 another form is grey, and another shows orange blotches and tubercles. Pennatulids, 

 spinous and purple coloured, which had obviously been embedded in the sand, were 

 also brought up. The shells of the pearl oysters were incrusted with small rock 

 oysters (Ostrcea sp.). 



