

56 M \DRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XV, 



continuous stretch. A large sand bank with about half a foot to two 

 feet of water during low tides, is forming to the west and north sides 

 of Bangaram and also of other islets to the east, providing a fine 

 breeding ground for young turtles, while all the sand heaps of the 

 three islets are full of pits, small and big, excavated by turtles 

 wherein to lay their eggs. The reason for these three islets being- 

 uninhabited is said to be due to want of good drinking water but 

 the water at Tinnakara tastes well. The space between Tinntkara 

 and Parali (which again is in two fragments) is shallow during low 

 tides and can be waded through easily. 



Boatmen and fishermen resort to these islands for fishing and 

 coconut collection and they say that " Muthuchippi " (pearl oysters) 

 can be had in good numbers at Bangaram ; but to my request they 

 were not able to bring anything and the description given by them 

 leaves me to doubt whether the " chippi " they refer to is the real 

 pearl oyster, for subsequently they showed me a valve of a big- 

 Pinna as a sample of Muthuchippi. After inspecting Parali, 

 Tinnakara and Bangaram we left at 3 p.m. and returned to Agatti 

 with a fine breeze at 5-30 p.m. 



Abundance of fish are found in the waters around these islets 

 for in about half an hour the boatmen were able to capture by the 

 cast net upwards of 30 red mullets or goatfish (Upeuoides sp.) ; 

 the vast sandy stretches abound here in sipunculid worms (Sipun- 

 culus indicus), 15 to 20 inches long, and Y 2 to % inch thick which are 

 much prized as bait in angling. The method of collecting these 

 latter is worthy of note. During low tides when the surface sand is 

 exposed the bait men search for the holes wherein these worms 

 live. A short stick (generally made of th? midrib of coconut leaf), 

 two feet long, is pushed into the holes to such a distance (say % 

 to I foot) that it enters the body of the animal for about half its 

 length, thus preventing the worm from burrowing deeper. Quickly 

 the sand round about is scooped out by hand and the stick and the 

 animal pulled out, the intestine being removed by pressing hard 

 and then cut into pieces for use as bait. A trial sieving of the 

 sands at the north-west corner of Bangaram brought only a few 

 small worms, but no Amphioxus, for which 1 tried particularly. 



Fragments of pumice stone are strewn all along the beach at 

 high water mark both at these islands and at Agatti. A few of 

 these and also specimens of Ithala {Dioscorea opposit i folia) with root 

 and plant were preserved. The latter plant grows wild at Bangaram 



