122 



132. The flying-fish season was at its height during our 

 visit ; we saw over twenty boats which had been fishing with 

 hook and line return from fishing at 3 p.m. on the day we lay 

 on the island. The catches, however, were very poor, not 

 exceeding a dozen in any of the boats that came alongside the 

 steamer. I explained the Negapatam method of luring flying- 

 fish to the boat by a bunch of leaves set adrift at the end 

 of a 200-fathom rope ; none of the men had ever heard of 

 such a method of fishing and I fear they considered it to be a 

 {; traveller's tale," although they promised to make a trial 

 of it. 



133. Harpooning for seer, shark, and sword-fish is carried 

 on in the usual island way, using a w r ooden poe-min as the lure. 

 Those we saw were characteristically ringed with narrow white 

 bands and had eyes of conventional form on the under as well 

 as the upper side of the head. The usual white rag hung from 

 the tail. They showed signs of more frequent use than those 

 we saw in the other islands and on the whole the Androth 

 fishermen seemed more enterprising than those of the other 

 islands. 



134. BSche-de-mer. — Considerable quantities are availa- 

 ble ill the shallows, but the elders of the island are strongly 

 opposed to any development of this industry from religious or 

 rather superstitious reasons. A venerated mullah now deceased 

 had fulminated against any traffic in such scaleless inhabitants 

 of the sea and banned with the threat of misfortune any who 

 should take it up, a prophecy which, we were told, came duly 

 true in several instances. Hence although the people admit 

 that the trade can be made to give a good return, they will 

 have nothing to do with it. 



135. Dredging on Androth lank. — Northward of the island 

 a shallow submarine pla f eau extends several miles ; to this 

 we devoted the morning of 1st December. The first haul was 

 in 16i fathoms, three miles north of Androth landing place. 

 The bottom was found to be very rich in coral of many 

 species ; as many as eleven different kinds were brought up at 

 one time. Tunicates, chiefly crimson Leptoclinids and a Styela, 

 were numerous, with a few small sponges, hydroids and polyzoa, 

 and a number of worm and crustacean messmates. Next we 

 tried several hauls in 11J fathoms one mile to the eastward ; 

 the bottom proved identical, strong growth of living corals 

 damaging the dredge every time it went down. From this 

 place we moved still further eastward gradually shallowing our 

 water till we came into 10 fathoms, north-north-east of the east 



