118 CEYLON PEARL OYSTER REPORT. 



paar, along with very many dead shells. The living Coral consists of Madrepores and 

 two species of Turbinaria. We also noticed : Axinella donnani, Echinostrephus 

 molare, Ophiothrix sp., Asterina cepheus, Pentaceros lincki, Nardoa tuber -culata, 

 Filigrana sp., Trophonia sp., Serpulids, Sabellaria, Pagurid (scarlet-maroon, hairy) in 

 chank shell, and Murex regius, Pearl Oysters, Avicula, Chama, Modiola (suran), and 

 Vermetus. 



Captain Donnan reports that a million and a half of large oysters which he found 

 on this paar in April, 1878, had disappeared in the November following. This may 

 become a valuable ground for obtaining a stock for other paars. 



Chilaw Paars. 



The outer, largest paar lies about 7 miles off the mouth of the Dedera-oya River, 

 near Chilaw, and is over 8 miles in length and about 2 miles in average breadth. It 

 has a depth of 8 to 9^ fathoms. 



The bottom is sand and masses of calcareous sandstone, which may be described as 

 a medium-grained calcrete, with a few larger quartz grains up to f inch diameter. 



We found considerable quantities of small pearl oysters (6 months old) in large 

 clusters, attached to one another by byssus and lying on sand, when not attached to 

 the cemented masses. Amongst other animals found were : Branched Gorgonids, 

 with specimens of Avicula radiata, Salmacis dussumieri, and a species of Hesione. 



A large supply of young oysters found here by Captain Donnan in April, 1875, 

 gradually disappeared during the next three years. Although there have been no 

 fisheries on the Chilaw Paars during recent years, they yielded important fisheries in 

 the past (1803, 1815, and 1884), and there seems no reason why a crop of pearl 

 oysters should not mature upon them at any time. We have evidence* that the 

 Pearl Fisheries controlled by the Singhalese Kings of Kandy were those lying off 

 Negombo and Chilaw, while those of Manaar and Aripu were in the hands of the 

 Tamil Kings of Jaffnapatam. 



There are also several smaller paars off Chilaw lying nearer the shore, about 3 or 4 

 miles off land, and averaging about 1 mile each in diameter ; and two further out 

 north-east of the large paar and about 5 miles off-shore ; in addition, many other 

 hard patches in this neighbourhood are named as paars by the natives. In fact, there 

 is a good deal of ground here that might at any time become a " paar" and bear crops 

 of pearl oysters. 



Karkopanni Paae. 



This paar lies off Karkopanni, to the North of Chilaw, about 3 miles off-shore, and 

 at a depth of 7g fathoms. The bottom is rock and sand intermingled, the latter 



* From the Singhalese poem, ' Kovul Sandesaya' (about 1460), and Ibu Batuta's 'Travels' (1344), 

 and also various Dutch records of the eighteenth century. These have been searched by Mr. HoRNEtX, 

 who expresses his indebtedness to Mr. P. E. Pieris, C.C.S., for translations from the Singhalese. 



