110 CEYLON PEARL OYSTER REPORT. 



Inner Vankali Paar. 



This lies f> miles further east and is about 7 miles west of Aripu. It is about 

 \h miles in diameter, and the depth varies from 3 to 6 fathoms. This is a patch of 

 rocky bottom, but close outside it are several old paars, named Vankali on the charts, 

 which are now covered with sand. 



Young oysters have been found on various occasions on the Vankali paars, but there 

 has never been a fishery. In April, 18G2, Mr. Vane reported a large bed of young 

 oysters in this region, covering an extent of 3 miles, but they did not remain. 



Anaivelundan Paar. 



This is the most northerly paar, and lies 4^ to 5 miles south of Adam's Bridge and 

 nearly 8 miles south-south-west of Talamanaar. It is about lj miles in diameter and 

 has depths of 4 to 6 fathoms. 



The bottom is composed of level "rock" overlaid with a thin sprinkling of sand. 

 Attached to the rock is found much broad-jointed Halimeda (H. tuna var. platydisca), 

 and also other Algae, including Chrysymenia uvaria, Udotea fabellata, Dictyurus 

 purpurascens, Kallymenia perforata and species of Laurencia, Polysiphonia, 

 CoraUina, Acetabularia, and quantities of Sargassum. 



The most characteristic animals of this paar are the corals Turbinaria cinerascens 

 and T. crater, the so-called elephant's-ear corals, from which the paar takes its native 

 name. 



Naddakadda Paar. 



This lies 2% miles east of Anaivelundan Paar and 7 miles south of Talamanaar in 

 Adam's Bridge. It is LJ miles in diameter, and the depth is 4^ to 5^ fathoms. 



The bottom is formed of ridged sand, the underlying rock only showing in a few 

 places. There are some Algae (Kallymenia perforata, &c.) on the bottom, and some 

 Axinella donnani, but no coral was found, and no pearl oysters. 



The pearl oysters which have sometimes been found on this paar, and are sometimes 

 washed up on the south of Manaar Island, are said to be of a flat shape and to have 

 very few pearls. 



To the south of this, and near the north end of the Periya Paar, two old Dutch 

 paars are marked on the charts, which may he either erroneous positions of the 

 Anaivelundan and Naddakadda or may be former paars now covered with sand. 



Periya Paar. 



This is a very long bank running north-north-west and south-south-east about 

 16 to 18 miles from land. It is about 11 miles in length and averages 1|- miles in 

 width. It is the paar that lies furthest from the shore, and has only been fished once, 

 and then only the south-eastern part, in 1879. The depth varies over the different 



