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correct. Along the whole coast fine weather prevails during 

 the north-east monsoon, not relatively fine weather as we get 

 inshore on the East Coast during the south-west monsoon, but 

 actual ;i summer seas " with gentle land and sea breezes which 

 carry the boats to the fishing grounds in the morning and 

 bring them home in the afternoon at the most convenient of 

 hours. More than this, the majority of the better fish found on 

 this coast also study the convenience of the fishermen by 

 coming close inshore in most years and coming not singly or 

 in small groups, but in huge phalanxes or shoals. Nature 

 calls for no special effort to be put forth on the part of the 

 Malabar fishermen so far as inshore fishing is concerned, hence 

 the dug-out being found sufficient has not been improved upon. 



The canoe in this part of India has no lesson for us save to 

 indicate how well sheltered the whole Malabar coast is during 

 half the year; for this period the whole extent of the coast is 

 one continuous haven, when the principal value of having a 

 number of ports or specific landing places is that such may be 

 chosen at or near centres of population or convenient to railway 

 stations whence some part of the catches may be despatched 

 inland in a fresh condition. During the other half of the year 

 the conditions are very different ; a heavy sea rolls in upon the 

 shore and precludes the possibility of small vessels anchoring 

 near the land in safety except at a few exceptional places 

 favoured by the presence of phenomenal mudbanks. From 

 15th May to 15th September the river ports along this coast 

 are virtually if not actually closed, many of the buoys are 

 removed and some harbour lights temporarily extinguished. 

 Under such unfavourable conditions, even though there be 

 occasional lulls in the violence of the monsoon winds, it would 

 be, I fear, hardly worth the risk for large fishing boats to remain 

 in commission on this coast during the south-west monsoon. 

 They should, however, be able to resume operations towards the 

 middle or end of August, especially if they utilise the advan- 

 tages of the mudbanks off Alleppi, Narrakal (Cochin), Calicut 

 and Quilandi ; St. Mary's Isles and Mount Dilli at this season 

 also offer good shelter from strong north-west winds which 

 occasionally prevail. To men with ample local knowledge the 

 many river mouths along this coast would also be serviceable 

 a.t this period as harbours of refuge in and out of which they 

 could work, as do cargo boats at present at several ports, 

 according to the promise of the weather. 



Alternatively to this laying up for several months, large 

 fishing boats employed on this coast during the north-east 

 monsoon might sail round to the Madras side for the south-west 

 8 



