68 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XV, 



good quantity (?). When picked up it is wet and gives out a very 

 rank odour. The islanders wrap it in cloth and in course of time 

 it dries and the product is very carefully preserved. 



Pearls. —As described above, the people of these islands are not 

 acquainted with the pearl oyster. They think any round form of 

 white or coloured hard substance picked from any bivalve shell may 

 be called a " pearl " (muthu)- An inferior kind of pearl is obtained 

 from a species of Modiola which was shown to me at Agatti, 

 enormous beds of which exist at Androth. A fisherman at Kiltan 

 told me that some three years ago a pearl (Kalmuthu) from 

 Tridacna (the giant clam, Malayalam Valiyakakka) was obtained 

 there ; Pinna also may occasionally contribute a few. I have not 

 seen specimens of any of these. The real 'pearl oyster is available, 

 but none of the people know it as such, and until we discover the 

 locality of beds of mature ones during a more thorough scientific 

 examination of the islands than the present one, we will have to be 

 satisfied with the statement that pearl oysters are present in all the 

 islands. 



In this connexion the suggestion that Trochus and Turbo, 

 found in big sizes in some of these islands suitable for pearl-button 

 making, might be available in such quantity as to be commercially 

 valuable was inquired into in greater detail. Without further 

 knowledge gained by an exhaustive investigation to find out their 

 abundance, we cannot come to any satisfactory conclusion on this 

 question. 



Edible molluscs. — Inquiries in all the islands showed that the 

 poorer people eat molluscan flesh either baked in the fire or made 

 into curries with suitable spices, etc. In almost all the islands 

 plenty of Mesodesma shells are found near inhabited houses and 

 the people say they eat this at times. The big Paikalam {Ptero. 

 cera Iambi's and P. chiragra), with various big Conus, and Trochus 

 and Turbo, contribute as food in times of distress and want. The 

 boys and girls at Chetlat during our visit were seen sitting round a 

 fire busy munching the baked flesh of P. chiragra, which is found 

 in good numbers around this island. In almost all the islands I 

 saw plenty of empty Strombus shells, but I am not able to discover 

 for what purpose these have been collected. The people say 

 that they possess very little flesh and are not eaten. 



Turtles and turtle and fish oils. — It is a well-known fact chat 

 turtles are available in large numbers in almost all the islands and 



