1922] MADRAS PEARL FISHERIES 113 



higher. In the present case Government had the utmost difficulty 

 in obtaining the valuation figure and indeed were we to exclude 

 the larger and finer Tundu Par oysters, the price at which the 

 Teradi Puli Piditta oysters were sold would be found to be below 

 the sample valuation. 



It would be found of great assistance to Government and to 

 buyers alike if a second valuation sample of oysters were drawn 

 immediately prior to the fishery, say ten days preceding, in addition 

 to the one obtained in the October or November of the preceding 

 year. This is regularly done at the Ceylon fisheries and serves as 

 an efficient check and corroboration both of the accuracy of the 

 preliminary valuation and of the identity of the ground selected 

 for fishing with that from which the first sample was taken. As 

 showing the possibility of error in localization of patches of oysters 

 when the organization is imperfect, are the two well-known 

 instances of this given by Sir William Twynam, namely — 



(a) How in 1836 two beds of young oysters were fished in 

 error instead of one bearing old and properly matured ones, and 

 (b) how the fishery of i860 on the Moderagam was all but lost, a 

 long continued search of three days being necessitated ere the bed 

 was rediscovered.* 



An omission which I cannot understand is the fact that no 

 inspection was made of the Semman Patt and Surukku Onpatu 

 Pars in 1901 as they bore oysters in 1899 of the same age and in 

 the same abundance as those on the Teradi Puli Piditta Par. No 

 examination of these was made in 1900 and it is quite probable 

 that patches of fine quality and large sized oysters might have 

 furnished a fishery on these pars in the year named. This region 

 in 1901 was by far the most important to examine and for some 

 reason or lack of system the obvious was not carried out. 



Southern or Comorin Division. 



Of the banks forming this division and stretching from 

 Manappad southwards to Cape Comorin little is known. A list of 

 some of these banks is given on pages 61-62- Of these only the 

 Manappad Periya Par appears to have received any attention. 

 This bank lying in $% to 7 fathoms is nearly 10 miles in length by 

 about one mile in breadth. It lies from 6 to 10 miles off the coast, 

 south-east of Manappad and about 5 miles south-west of the southern 



*_" Report on the Ceylon^ Pearl Fisheries," 1902, page 20. 



IS 



